The Darkest Knight
by halfkyuubikat
Summary: Princess Sakura has been taken hostage by her family's mortal enemies, The Uchiha. She believed she was fated to die until she realized that was not correct. "Dark Knight" Sasuke Uchiha plans to marry her, keep her prisoner, and make her bear him a son.
1. Prelude

A/N: I was shifting and cleaning out my folder and I found this. It was from a while back and I totally forgot about it. You can tell it's older because it's not that long.

I just decided to put it up so that it could be recognized. Lol.

I probably won't start the first chapter for a while, but who knows?

Actually I'm pretty darn sure this was meant as the first chapter, but I'm making it a prelude because I just can't stomach having this short of a chapter. ;)

**Full Summary****:**

~**Haruno Sakura accepted that she was going to die. Being captured by her family's nemesis, the Uchiha clan, she was fully prepared to be slaughtered by her captor the "Dark Knight" Sasuke Uchiha. However she never expected to be forced into marriage with him and then brought to his castle so that she could bear him a son in order to bring her clan to its downfall. She also never expected such intense feelings for the killer that has murdered countless numbers of her people.**

Disclaimer: Kishi owns Naruto.

BETA: Carmie-chan (Yay! A beta!)

* * *

"What?" Sakura stood in front of her father's throne; her outrage was clearly evident as she stood defiantly and faced him.

"I believe full well that you heard me the first time, Sakura-hime." Her father gave her a look of dissatisfaction before he called forth some of his servants. They stumbled forward, giving weary looks at the furious Princess. They all knew of her temper and of her strength.

"You're sending me to a nunnery! A _nunnery!_" She shrieked in outrage.

"This is for your own good, my daughter." He stared at her with true concern in his eyes, but it didn't quell her fury.

"I have **nothing** to do with this outrageous war with the Uchiha! Why do you believe that sending me to a nunnery will protect me?"

"Darling, you and your brother are all I have left of your mother. She was assas—"

"I know how she died." Of course she did. She remembered that horrifying day. She remembered seeing her mother killed. She remembered. It was all part of this stupid war. If there was no war with the Uchiha, her mother would still be with her and she would not be about to be shipped to a nunnery for the rest of her life.

"I will not lose you as well. By sending you to Saint Hikari, you will be taken care of. You will also be out of reach from those—" He quieted his eyes blazing in anger. The Haruno's and the Uchiha truly hated each other. This war had already lasted since the year of Sakura's birth and that was seventeen years ago. Be raised in this threatening world and always being sheltered away from anything had made Sakura long since grown sick of the war.

Her elder brother fought in the army as a commander and was valiant in his efforts. He loved telling her all about how he slaughtered the Uchiha trash, often speaking about those killings in great detail. That was always most pleasant for her.

"I'm not like Mother. I know how to wield a sword; I know how to protect myself. I do not need to follow this _absurd _idea of sending me away to pray and devote my life to God. Do you not wish for grandchildren one day?" She had no interest in marrying, though. Sakura had plans for her life besides being married off and having children. She wanted to change this country; she wanted to change the Haruno Clan. But, she would take marriage any day rather than have to go to a blasted nunnery.

"You know full well, Sakura-hime, that your brother's wife is pregnant and due very soon."

Basically, they had no need for her.

So why go through so much trouble to keep her safe? Why not just let the Uchiha kill her if she was this useless for the Clan?

"Father—"

"This is the end of our discussion. In two days time you will go to Saint Hikari and that is final."

Sakura face contorted into a mask of pure anger before she turned around and smashed a vase as she made her departure. All the servants flinched at her action, but were filled with relief at the fact that she had chosen to let her anger out on the vase and not on one of them.

**XXX**

"Sasuke-sama, the King has requested your presence."

He lifted his head off his pillow before standing up and walking toward the exit of the room. The maid that had informed him jumped toward the door in fright. Her eyes were fearful as he walked by her without a second glance.

When he arrived at his father's throne room, he entered without knocking. His father was talking to someone when he entered, but immediately ushered them away as his son walked toward him.

"You requested me?" Sasuke looked at his father.

"Yes Sasuke. I figured I'd get right to the point. I have a _very_ important mission for you. This will probably be the most important thing you do for the clan. If you succeed, you will be responsible for the destruction of the Haruno Clan."

Sasuke stilled.

The Haruno Clan: the clan that his family had been in battle with since he was five years old. This was the clan he grew up hating; the one that he despised with every fiber of his being. His life's purpose was to slaughter the Haruno and their soldiers. People said he was so brutal in his killing that even the strongest of men fell to their knees from the mention of his name. He was called "Dark Knight" on the battlefield and was feared by all.

He lived for the destruction of the Haruno; he would do anything for the Haruno's to fall.

"What do you want me to do father?" He asked.

"Are you going to accept it?" His father replied back.

"Aa." Why on earth would Sasuke refuse it? This was his chance to destroy the people he hated. He would never refuse such a chance so matter what the consequences or how dangerous it could be. He would die before he refused.

"Alright then my son, since you have agreed…"

Sasuke glared at how his father seemed almost reluctant to tell him what he was supposed to do.

"In two days, you and your men- no more than two- will intercept a carriage on its way to Saint Hikari, the nunnery. In that carriage, you will find the Haruno Princess."

Sasuke realized just what his mission was immediately. He would assassinate the Haru—

"You will take her to the castle, marry her, and have her produce you a male heir."

Sasuke stilled. All throughout his life, he had never been as shocked and speechless as he was at this moment.

* * *

Made by Yours Truely (In her younger years with a bit of a spice up now)

~Halfkyuubikat~


	2. Nightmare: Two Unwanted Paths

A/N: First Chapter! Yeah!

**I have to warn you, I'm apply for colleges and visiting them so I can't focus on writing as much anymore. Also School starts up for me in 3 weeks and I am in a sport and an academic club; all these will take up quite a bit of my time. However I will not give up writing my works and I swear to never leave a story uncompleted (I know that it is too cruel to the readers), you just might have to be a little patient with me during the first few months of fall.**

So (1) There was a huge response to just the prelude and I was really surprised. (and happy, Thank You!)

(2) There were also a lot of questions and I tried to answer them as best I could in this chapter without revealing the important stuff. Also please note I changed the date the war started.

**Beta:** _Besides the slightly creepy and gothic undertones associated with religion, this story is amazing. So go and review so halfkyuubikat will update faster! ~Carmie-chan_

**Note:** The words in the beginning are Latin. I used Gregorian Chants (cause I don't know how to make up words that make no sense) so they have religious backgrounds and stuff. Also, I will use one line from the bible at the beginning of each chapter. I don't expect to convert you or anything; most of them have to do with wives, marriage, and the like. Anyways onward!

_~Sasuke is 22 _

_~Sakura is 17 (I know there is a big age difference, but this is a medieval time setting when things like 14 year girls married 30 year old men happened…Blah!)_

_~The war started around 17 years ago, but the Uchiha and Haruno always had bad relations._

_

* * *

_

**House and wealth are inherited from**

**parents,**

**but a prudent wife is from the LORD.**

Proverbs 19:14

* * *

"Mommy, what are you doing?"

_Tantum ergo Sacramentum__  
__Veneremur cernui:__  
__Et antiquum documentum_

"I'm scared…"

_O Salutaris Hostia__  
__Quae caeli pandis ostium: __  
__Bella premunt hostilia, __  
__Da robur, fer auxilium._

"W-why is there b-blood?"

_Sub tuum praesidium confugimus,__  
__sancta Dei Genitrix:__  
__nostras deprecationes__  
__ne despicias in necessitatibus:__  
__sed a periculis cunctis__  
__libera nos semper_,

"Mommy!"

* * *

Her body jerked forward and her head spun from the fast movement. She heard a squeak from beside her and then the sound of something hitting the floor. She turned her head to look over the side of her bed and saw just who had awoken her.

"I-I'm s-so sorry that I woke you, Sakura-hime!"

"Hinata, I told you to stop calling me that! And it's fine; I wasn't having a very pleasant sleep anyway…" It was true that she wasn't; the nightmare she had just had was something that repeated itself quite often. The doctor said it was something normal after experiencing a difficult trauma, but it didn't mean that Sakura wished they would stop any less.

"Sakura…hime...I-I know that you are not p-p-pleased about your father's d-decision on sending you to…S-saint Hikari, but you know that it is because he has your interest at heart. You should respect his order."

Sakura's already poor mood seemed to crash down even further. She had forgotten about what her father had told her last night.

"Why are you even here Hinata?" Sakura hadn't meant to snap at her long-time friend and her first lady-in-waiting, but her anger at just how her life was turning out could not make her stop from having a harsher tone as she spoke.

"A-ah, well…I heard you broke…another…v-v-vase…and I was just checking to s-see…if you needed treatment for any injuries?"

Sakura felt her anger dissolve in a flash. It was impossible to be harsh with Hinata. She was just so fragile. Sakura glanced briefly at her right hand—that being the one she had used to smash the vase—and it was true that she had cut the flesh a little, but the wound was already sealed. Only an angry red mark remained. Sakura had always been a fast healer.

"My hand is fine, thank you for your concern Hinata."

"Y-yes."

It stayed quiet in the room for a moment. After a while, Sakura began to feel the true horror of what was about to come of her life hit her.

She was going to become a nun.

She would have to devote her life to God! Ugh! She would have to listen to a bunch of snooty priestesses talking about their way of life. She would have to wear the same outfit for the rest of her life and although Sakura wasn't a princess that abused her wealth with absurd clothes, she did like some variety. Her life would be scheduled from the time the sun rose to the time it went down. It wasn't like her life was controlled enough as it was, but she would no doubt lose the little freedom that she had.

Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. Her anger was gone. It had worn off through the night and now a wavering depression settled in its place. She did not want to be a prisoner for the rest of her life. This was not the life Sakura had wanted to live. But what could she do? Her father and brother were alive and well. Her right as a woman was moderate at best and she would most likely never inherit the throne; even if she stayed in the castle to be an advisor to her brother in his years of rule, her words would have the least amount of influence.

Her brother, Raku, would inherit the throne once their father retired or passed on. He had his wife and they would soon have a child together. If it is a boy, the kingdom will have the line continued and her purpose would be as an advisor in the royal court. Perhaps, if she were truly lucky, she would rule a branch kingdom. However, with the road her life had taken, it seems that she would now have no place in the Haruno Clan.

"Sakura-hime?"

Sakura glanced at the pale-eyed woman who looked quite anxious to say something.

"Ah…what is it Hinata?"

"Well, I a-also wanted to inform you that…d-due to…My F-father has decided t-that I will j-join you at Saint Hikari. The Hyuga have l-long since named H-Hanabi as the inheritor so…I w-will be with y-you as well Sakura-hime."

Sakura's eyes widened. Of course she was happy—ecstatic—to learn that her friend would join her, but Hinata had an entirely different focus on life. She wanted to have children and marry. Hinata was comfortable with children and Sakura could tell that her friend looked forward to the day she would be a mother as well.

Hikari was a place of purity.

By going there, Hinata would never be able to have the children she desired. Instead, she would be destined to care for "God's Children."

"Oh, Hinata! I'm so sorry."

"N-no, it's my great pleasure to follow you in your travels. I want to be with you Sakura-hime…you're m-my…best friend."

Sakura pulled Hinata into her arms.

"Hinata! I am so glad you're coming with me, but I just wish that it wasn't to a place that will keep you from having a family."

"Ah, I haven't even found someone to spend the r-rest of my life with. I ha-haven't even fallen in love y-yet either. I don't think I will. I want to be with the p-people I l-love and th-that's you Sakura-hime."

Sakura looked at Hinata with earnest dread. Why was it that such a wonderful girl had to have her life ruined because of her? To make it worse, Sakura was happy that Hinata's life was being ruined…as long as Sakura herself did not have to be alone in Hikari. How could she be such a horrible friend?

"Um…Sa-Sakura-hime?"

Sakura turned her head to Hinata who sat on her bed with a smile on her face.

"I also came to inform you that your father has moved the date of which you leave. Instead of tomorrow you will begin you travels tonight. For your safety of course, he wishes to keep your departure a secret. We will have to finish preparing the carriage before tonight."

"Oh." Was all that Sakura could manage to whisper out.

"Well, I will leave you to prepare."

**XxXxXxX**

Sakura kneeled in front of the grave for a while. It was mid-day and she still had a few things to work out before she was forcibly taken to Hikari. However the attraction to head towards the Haruno Clan's graveyard was something too great to ignore.

She gently raised her hand to stroke the words engraved in the gray stone.

_Tsubaki Haruno_

Her mother had not been someone of royal standing when she married into the Haruno Clan. Sakura knew that her mother had been, however, a religious woman that her father fell in love with. For once, love was enough for her to become a king's wife.

"Mom…"

She did not deserve to die. Her mother was a beautiful woman and Sakura inherited her young looks solely from her. The Haruno were more burley and powerfully structured; Sakura was tiny in comparison. She did, however, inherit her strength from her father-that was no question.

Her light, pink locks were from her mother of course. Most Haruno's had brown or orange hair; Sakura was exotic in her own right. She did, however, not gain her mother's beautiful, aquamarine colored eyes. All Haruno's had the same colored eyes: an emerald green that was not seen on any other human in the world.

Sakura had always wished she had her mother's eyes, because now she would never see them again.

War was a hideous creature and Sakura was disgusted with it. Her mother had taught her that she should not hate the people involved in war, but war itself. Tsubaki was a peacekeeper and urged her father repeatedly to make peace terms with the Uchiha, but of course, that one protest disappeared nine years ago.

"Mom…I really don't want to go to Saint Hikari."

She touched her mother's name again, caressing the letters.

"Would you have allowed them to do this?"

But that answer didn't matter in the least. Her mother was dead, she was going to a nunnery to live for the rest of her life, and she was talking to nothing but a piece of rock.

**XxXxXxX**

Her brother stood in front of her.

His brown hair was matted at the ends and he stood gallantly in front of her, his height towering above her own. She wanted to ignore him, but he grabbed her into a hug and she realized that she would not be able to see him for a very long time.

War had always separated them, but this was so much different.

"Sakura, take care you hear me!"

"Raku…"she whispered and reached around his waist to hug him back.

As much as his attitude and delight of killing people disgusted her, she still dearly loved her brother. He was much older than her. At the age of 23 he had grown used to war and it had started to excite him. Cruelty spawns more cruelty.

It didn't matter to Sakura though; she was just going to miss him.

"Will you mail me when Ume gives birth?"

"Of course."

She hugged him tighter. She was willing to play on his sympathy if it meant getting the last thing she wanted before she went to the nunnery. And that was to ride free, without the constraints of a stuffy carriage.

"Raku…can you do one thing for me?"

"What?" He was hesitant; he knew his sister. Even if she was small and graceful she still carried the Haruno genes.

"Can you get one of the knights on guard duty swap with me? So that I can ride alongside the carriage?"

"Sakura…"

"I won't run away I promise. Just let me ride, I won't get a chance again at Hikari and you know how much I love riding horses. You can give me the slowest one that guarantees I can't get far. Please, Raku!"

"Hah, Father would never approve of this."

"Then don't let him know. You can dress me in knight armor…just give me this one chance please brother..."

* * *

"Naruto, Neji."

The two looked up from where they were dealing cards in the room and noticed at the door their superior and friend.

"Sasuke-teme!" The blonde jumped up and lunged for his friend. However the minute his eyes landed on Sasuke's face, he came to abrupt halt.

"What is it Sasuke-teme? What happened?"

Sasuke ignored Naruto's screeching voice and instead chose to inform his closest companions what news his father had given him the following night.

"We are leaving this afternoon to head toward the Haruno main castle. We will wait northeast about 15 miles from the castle near one of the main roads. Be prepared for a fight."

Sasuke turned around and simply walked toward the door, however, the dobe had blocked his path. His arms rapidly rose and fell as he tried to gain the Uchiha's attention.

"What are we doing Sasuke? What do you mean? What the hell do we have to go so close to the Haruno Castle for? What are we doing! SASU—"

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled out.

Neji remained silent, but after more persuasion on Naruto's part, Sasuke finally sat down at the table, Naruto following along. Sasuke figured he might as well explain the reason behind what they were going to do. Sasuke wasn't one for words and so he figured he might as well get right down to it.

"My father has sent me to capture the Haruno Princess. We are going to intercept her carriage tomorrow and take her prisoner. I am to have her bare me a son, that way the Uchiha can seize power for the Haruno Monarch."

Naruto's mouth dropped open in a comical fashion while Neji gazed at the Uchiha without making any facial expressions.

"Huh?" Naruto screamed.

"It makes sense." Neji said calmly.

"Wait, what? How does that make sense Neji?" Sasuke stayed quiet. He had figured out the logic behind his father's orders long ago and he had no desire to try and explain it to Naruto. The dobe would take hours to understand.

"You do understand the Hierarchy of the Haruno Clan right? Or have you at least heard of it?" Neji drawled out in slight disgust. He obviously knew just as well as Sasuke how quickly Naruto was going to understand this.

"The Hierar—what?"

Neji let out a long sigh.

"Hierarchy Naruto. The way the Crown is passed on? Who is next in line to rule after the King dies?"

"Oh~! Yeah, I know what that is! Why didn't you say in the first place?"

Neji continued. He ignored Naruto's comment for both their sanity.

"The Hierarchy of the Haruno Clan is much like the Uchiha Clan in that it is male based. They would much rather have a strong male rule the kingdom than a woman. For this reason, they created a system of Inheritance that is set in order to insure that a man is ruling. As you know, the Haruno Princess is set in line for the throne. If her father dies and she has no living siblings she will be the next ruler of the Clan."

"Wait, you just said that men rule the clan? How come she is the next inheritor?"

"She's not Baka! The Haruno Princess has an older brother that will inherit the clan when their father passes. However, if something happens to him, she will become the ruler until another male can take the crown. " Neji turned to look at Sasuke for a moment, asking his own question. "Isn't the Crown Prince about to have a child though? What your father has in mind won't work if—"

"It will be taken care of." Sasuke said simply, staring at a wall.

"Huh...Naruto, what the King has in mind is to have Sasuke bare a son with the Haruno Princess, so that according to the Inheritance will, the Uchiha will be able to slip into power and destroy the Haruno from the inside. Before you ask why, it is because as long as the Crown Prince does not have a son of his own, any son of the Princess is the next to inherit the Throne. The male based hierarchy decrees that men should rule the kingdom and thus her male child would become ruler versus a daughter of The King. Do you understand?"

"So if Sasuke-teme knocks up the Haruno Princess with a little teme brat…and the Crown Prince never has a son of his own…then the Uchiha are put into power?"

"If the King and the Crown Prince are killed, the Crown would be given to the Princess's husband. Which I suppose means you will also be marrying this woman Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"So…Sasuke-teme is getting married and having a little teme brat…with a **Haruno** Princess? So that the Uchiha can weasel their way into the Crown and destroy the entire kingdom without very slowly and painfully killing all the people in this Hierarchy from bottom to top?"

"Yes, Naruto." Neji replied quietly. He was watching Sasuke who still was looking at the wall. Sasuke tried to control his feeling of wrath, but it was hard to, especially with Naruto in the same room as him.

"Have you ever seen Haruno women before? They aren't exactly the most beautiful creatures alive!"

Naruto's crude words were true however. The Haruno women that Sasuke had seen over the years were all built much like their male counterpart. They were more brawny and muscular than a normal girl and their faces were more masculine than natural for girls. Although they weren't ugly, they also weren't what a normal man was looking for in a wife.

"Are you really going to do this Sasuke!" Naruto screeched again. Sasuke was annoyed with his behavior and voice, but he knew his friend well enough now to know that he was just worried for his best friend's well being.

"Why wouldn't I? We will be able to take down the Haruno in a span time of a single year rather than another seventeen years of war."

Sasuke stood calmly as he walked toward the door. This time, not allowing himself to be pulled aside and blabbered to by Naruto.

"But Sas—"

"We leave in a few hours. My father said that they were sending the Princess away tomorrow, but I know they are getting suspicious that we have sent spies to watch them. They will most likely send the woman away tonight rather than tomorrow. Get ready."

Sasuke slammed the door behind him and walked toward his bedroom.

His fists clenched together as he nearly ripped the door off its hinges as he forced it open.

When the door was slammed shut, Sasuke no longer played his charade of calmness; his fierce frustration crashed on his room in full force.

* * *

I know that Sakura's POV dominate, but this is a story about her. So Sasuke will have minor POV in every chapter throughout the story.

Ask if you have any questions. But it will be explained why Neji is with Sasuke in the next chapter. But it isn't that hard to guess if you know the original Naruto story well.

More things will be explained in the story to come, so don't get too frustrated. :)

~Halfkyuubikat


	3. Journey: Fight to the Death

A/N: I decided to make a FAQ part for this story since everyone has a lot of questions. So the ones that I see the most or the ones that I like the best will be put up. Oh and I know I should have worked on my other stories first, but I just couldn't until I got this chapter out.

**Frequently Asked Questions**

**Q1: Is Itachi in this story?**

_A1: Pfff…..a story without Itachi? You crazy people! Yes, Itachi will be a character is this story and he will appear in a few chapters. Be prepared though, he won't appear as he usually does in other stories._

**Q2: Is Sakura ugly since she is a Haruno?**

_A2: No! Lol, Haruno are not necessarily ugly. They are more…uh well they are just well built and taller than a normal woman. They are more handsome than they are beautiful. Due to this they are not especially the favorites of other men (besides other Haruno cause the men are tall and brawny as well). However Sakura looks exactly like her mother, is short, graceful, and although she has a well built body with muscles they do not overpower her femininity. Sakura is seen as a very pretty girl. ;) _

**Q3: Is Sasuke going to turn into a floppy character and turn all nice and shit?**

_A3: I take pride in the writing and development of each of my characters. This fic will focus on a dark Sasuke who has a great hate that runs deep and does not allow him to easily open to others and especially a Haruno. He will remain an ass basically through this entire story. Of course he will have his moments that show he does care for Sakura (cause no one can resist fluff), but they will not overpower his character. Be prepared cause Sasuke will not have a complete 180 character turn around. He might make some changes and feel differently about some things, but I wouldn't expect the Dark Knight to stop slaughtering Haruno early in the story._

**Q4: Sasuke and rape?**

_A4: Ah, yeah. I feel bad including rape-rape in stories. Sasuke can be considered to force Sakura into sexual acts in this fic, but she does want it to an extent. So Sasuke will not rape Sakura in this fic. This doesn't exclude rough sex, but we will see how the relationships interact._

**Q5: What happens if Sakura gets pregnant with a girl?**

_A5: They try again. ;)_

I hope this helped you guys. Now onward to the awesome chapter that I had a blast writing. Keep asking questions cause I want to put them up and help the other readers too.

**Beta:** _Nope, I'm fine. Thanks anyway. ~Carmie-chan_

**Disclaimer:** Standard

* * *

**It is better to live in a desert land**

**than with a contentious and fretful**

**wife.**

Proverb 21:19

* * *

Sakura growled awkwardly as she once again felt the horse stumble on its hooves. She couldn't easily blame the creature, since they were walking in the dead of the night with no flames to guide the way, but she didn't fail to notice the fact that none of the other horses were having the same problem; which meant it was just her white stallion that was having trouble moving on its feet.

Sakura could admit, she had not been pleased when her brother pointed out which horse he had picked out for his dear little sister. 'Katsumi' was a well-known horse due to his lazy qualities and the fact that in order to move, the speed at anything more than a brisk jog was nearly impossible.

Raku was obviously not taking any chances with her trying to escape while they were riding.

Of course, her brother had planned on being with her in order to stop any escape attempt, but due to the fact he was a leading General in the army at the last minute, he was unable to continue with her. He trusted the fact that she would not run and if she did the other guards would capture her for questioning. Sakura was not necessarily upset about his absence, but she also knew she would miss her brother.

The same could not be said about her father.

Their parting had been limited to a few select words and his promise that she would grow to love Hikari. She wondered if the fact that her mother had come from a religious background made him hope that she would end up liking a blasted nunnery.

He would be delusional if that was the case.

Sakura sighed briefly as she lifted her heavy helmet in order to gaze at the scenery, or what could be seen of it as least. They were passing through a field at the moment and it looked plain in the night. She could not even tell if it was growing any food or not.

They had traveled around 10 miles from her home and dawn would be making its way on the horizon soon.

The journey was taking a long time in Sakura's mind and the heat in the still night was not helping. She could feel the sweat beads beginning to run down her brow, causing her hair to stick to the sides of her face in her cramped helmet. Her long hair was forced to be piled in the helmet so no stands of pink could be seen. The feeling was dreadful and it was not for the first time Sakura regretted not being able to sit comfortably in the wagon along with Hinata.

Katsumi whinnied nosily, causing the rest of the guards to glare at Sakura for disturbing the quiet. None of them were wearing their full armor; they had at least removed the helmet from their heads allowing air to blow through their hair. Sakura was very envious of them.

She, of course, could not remove a single bit of her armor, because if she did, she would be tossed into the carriage (that looked better and better by the second) like a sack of potatoes.

"Yoshiro. Keep that horse under control; we don't want to make any unnecessary noises, understand."

"Yes sir." Sakura answered attempting to make her voice deeper. It came out sounding pretty girly to her, but the men didn't seem to notice anything off about it.

Raku decided to make her a low ranking knight named Yoshiro that he recommended from his squadron. He had given her armor and everything to complete the look, even a very nicely crafted sword. Raku, of course, had glared at her when he handed it over.

_"Don't kill anyone Sakura"_ was the only thing he said while he placed it in her hands. She smiled slightly at her brother's fear that she would attempt to kill someone with the sword in a moment of anger. Was everyone _that_ terrified of her rage? She glanced over at the knight that had spoken.

It seemed that they were if they didn't want the slightest noise to be spoken while Sakura supposedly slept in the carriage. Sakura glanced at them for a moment and then concluded that there was a much more important reason they didn't want to make any noises. After all, they wouldn't set lanterns up to guide more easily along the roads.

They were obviously afraid of something catching notice of them.

Her thoughts were interrupted however when Katsumi once again stumbled in his movement. This time she flew forward slightly, thus making the spot between her legs rub uncomfortably against her clothes. Sakura lifted her head in aggravation; her ass was really starting to become sore.

Her eyes were met with the black sky. There was no moon to give extra light and no stars that danced in the black. It was the darkest night Sakura had seen in a long time.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"You fucking horse!" Sakura screamed in aggravation as she once again attempted to get the white stallion to move away from the grass he was chewing on.

She was beyond pissed at the moment. The heat was getting to her and although she had removed her helmet from her head, her hair was sticking closer to her face than ever. The sun had barely risen, and yet the rays of light were blaring down on her, causing sweat to drip down her face.

They had left her behind.

Oh yes. They had left Sakura behind when Katsumi finally decided that he had enough of moving and would instead eat a nice and long breakfast. Those fucking guards had glanced at her for a few minutes before they said that they could not stop and said that Yoshiro should just head back to the castle. Sakura could tell they did not like her from the moment she sat on the horse. They were just being assholes and wanted to show that Raku's recommendation was pathetic.

They probably thought her hilarious because of how small she was compared to the rest of them. Of course, they would not take her seriously when she was one foot shorter than them.

Too bad they didn't realize they just left behind the thing they were supposed to be protecting this entire time. Sakura greatly considered the moment she got her fat lard of a horse to move his ass to return to the castle just to get those people into the most trouble they had experience in their lives.

But of course, that would mean leaving behind Hinata, who had been a great friend and allowed Sakura to travel on horseback while she stayed alone in a carriage for the entire trip to Saint Hikari. Sakura would not do that to her best friend and she also didn't want to go back home and see her father again.

She had seen him enough after he decided to banish her from her home.

Thus, her only choice was to get her horse moving so that she could catch up to the carriage and continue on what was left of the journey.

It had already been close to thirty minutes since they had vanished from her sight and Sakura feared that with any more time passing, she would lose track of them at some fork in the road or something.

Sakura tugged on the reins again attempting to step backwards until he was forced to lift his head up from the food and follow her. Her strength seemed to finally succeed because with a whining sound, Katsumi lifted his head with the force of the pull and stubbornly moved in the direction Sakura dragged him. Once she had him securely in the middle of the path and away from any vegetation, she quickly picked up her helmet and jumped on top of him. Pulling the reins up, his head was forced to be lifted up higher as she eased herself into a comfortable position and reluctantly replaced the helmet of her head.

"Alright Katsumi, thanks to you, we have to catch up to everyone. I won't accept just a trot. You are going to canter, got it?" With those words, she clutched his sides with the heels of her shoes and clicked her tongue; surprisingly enough, he listened to her and took off into a fast run that surprised the hell out of her.

Guess the lazy horse just needed a different rider to get him going.

* * *

"Sasuke-teme, they're here."

Sasuke lifted his head toward the path and sure enough in the distance he saw the outlining of a carriage and horses surrounding it moving closer and closer. He stood and walked by the side of Naruto. He glanced at Neji from across the road and the brown haired man immediately nodded his head.

"What do we do about the guards, teme?" Naruto asked as he counted the five men riding horses nearby the carriage.

"Kill them."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke a little shocked, but nodded his head as his best friend simply glanced at the rocks in the path, his face unchanging as he simply told Naruto to end five men's lives. But Naruto was used to his cold attitude and did not expect a reaction out of the raven-haired man.

The carriage approached at a mildly fast past and Sasuke drew his sword out, preparing to end this quickly so that he could just capture the Princess named Sakura and return to his home. The faster he did that, the faster he could return to the war zone.

Sasuke watched as they came closer and noticed that there were two more men driving the carriage. Which meant that seven men were needed to be killed before they could get the woman and leave. Sasuke trusted that Neji would end the drivers' lives and instead, he concentrated on the five riding horseback. They were all muscular and tall, which could be seen from the way their armor was wrapped around their bodies. None wore their helmets, a foolish move that left easy openings for any enemies.

As if on cue an arrow slit through the air and emended itself in the torso of one of the carriage drivers. Within seconds another one followed into the second's chest. They both slumped over and the horses reacted to the pulling of the reins.

"Cut them loose." Was all that Sasuke said as he launched himself at the closest rider who was looking wide-eyed at his fallen comrades. Sasuke used his katana to quickly decapitate the man, ignoring the blood that splattered against his shirt and simply moved on to the next victim. However, the rest were prepared and drew their swords out in preparation to fight.

Neji would not be able to take them out with his arrows as easily since, unlike the carriage riders, they wore armor well suited for protection against an enemy attack. Neji appeared out of the woods opposite of the carriage and engaged in battle with a man near him.

Naruto had quickly moved to the carriage, cutting the lines that connected the horses to it. As if on cue they raced off the minute they no longer had to pull the wagon. Naruto sighed happily and was glad for the fact they would not have to chase down a runaway carriage anytime soon. He heard a scream from behind him and assumed that one of the guards had met a painful end.

Naruto turned in time to see to his under shock and disappointment that Sasuke was locked in battle with the only surviving guard. The rest lay dead on the ground.

"Oh come on!" He cried in protest. "Sasuke-teme, you guys didn't leave a single one for me!"

Sasuke disposed of the knight with a shove of his sword into the area between the man's collarbone and shoulder (one of the few places that had an opening to skin). Blood sputtered out of the guard's mouth as he frantically looked at the carriage. His blinked as he hit the ground with a dull thud. His eyes did not open again.

"Sorry dobe." Sasuke said simply as he walked over to the carriage sheathing his sword and whipping some of his opponent's blood off his face. Neji followed quietly behind.

There was a gentle creak inside the carriage as someone moved inside. Sasuke lifted his head and glared at the offending structure for a moment. Disgust was filling his insides as he thought that the woman he would have to bed and marry was inside the carriage at the moment. He wished he could kill her and tell his father that something had gone wrong, but his pride at success would not allow him to. He would end up with a Haruno as his woman.

The disgust intensified as he continued to stare at the sealed entryway. Naruto, however had enough of his stare and decided that he would open the thing himself. He pulled the door open quickly and watched as he stepped inside to look at what expected would be the traditional Haruno woman. However what greeted his eyes caused him to do a double take.

"Holy fuck." He gasped.

The woman inside was squished as far as possible inside the corner of the carriage. The darkness kept her face in the shadows, but it didn't stop Naruto from knowing that the woman was no doubt beautiful and most definitely looked nothing like a Haruno. She was short he could tell from the way she was not crouched over while standing in small carriage. She could be nothing more than 5''2' and most of her weight had to belong to her filled out breasts. Her hair was long and a dark color that almost appeared to have a bluish tint feel across what he knew was pale skin.

She was gorgeous, much more beautiful than any of the fancy women he had seen at the Uchiha's multiple palaces.

And not for the first time in his life, he was jealous of Sasuke.

* * *

**A/N: So what did ya think? Good, good? **

**Review?**

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**Haha just kidding, there is more. Keep reading and enjoy!**

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When Katsumi had started acting strange, Sakura had figured he was tired. After all she assumed he was not used to running for a long period of time. But when he stopped moving all together and moved his head from side to side, a feeling inside her told her it was more than that.

She forced the horse to move a little more down the path, but he stopped dead in his tracks. Sakura sighed and hopped off him; prepared to drag him back to the others if she needed to. But a scream a short distance in front of her caused her to freeze. Katsumi took the chance and turned around his tail high in the air as he galloped in the opposite direction.

Sakura would have screamed at the gods, but her mind was focused on a different thing.

She moved down the path until she came to a bend and saw past a bunch of trees the carriage unmoving. A horse ran passed her and continued in the same direction her own had gone. There was no rider.

Sakura turned again toward the carriage and noticed that there were was one figure standing and three standing away from it. One of them fell down and Sakura knew that they had been attacked. She knew the escorts were dead and she held no belief that anyone would be coming for a long time. Sakura knew that it was in her best interest to turn around and return to the castle. She knew that as the Princess of Haruno, she could be used against her country or be sold into prostitution or something. She also knew that the same fate could be bestowed upon her friend that Sakura prayed had not been hurt yet.

Though she knew it was foolish, Sakura didn't turn back toward her home. Instead, she raced toward three figures that had killed all the guards and toward her friend who was in the worst danger of her life.

The armor she wore slowed her down, but Sakura did not dare remove it. If she did she knew that it could spell instant death. The guards were foolish for removing even a little of their protection. As she got closer she moved in the woods just a few steps near the road that way she wouldn't be noticed right away.

Her eyes stayed focused on the carriage as it was opened and one figure went inside it. Sakura's heart bumped loudly against her chest in fright for her friend. The other two did not follow. It seemed a life time for Sakura, but the one figure or man she could assume from their heights, popped back out for a moment, before he went inside again.

Sakura's sprint turn into a slow jog and then she stopped moving all together as she stood twenty feet away from where the three men stood. She was able to see that one had dark raven hair and was very tall and muscular. His hair was spiked up toward her. The other had long brown hair that Sakura couldn't help but admire. If she could see his lean back muscles through his shirt she would have assumed him a woman.

Sakura could also see the carnage of what was left of the guards. Only two horses remained and one had a body draped over the side. Sakura could tell there was no head attached. A sick feeling crept up in her stomach at the sight of the blood drenched over the four bodies on the ground.

A very familiar scream broke her thoughts though.

Sakura watched in horror as her best friend was dragged out of the carriage by a man with a mop of blonde hair. Hinata struggled for a moment, but she froze as her eyes caught sight of what was left of the knights. Sakura realized that Hinata must have assumed that she had also been killed in the battle. She had been unaware that Sakura had been left behind an hour ago. However, after a moment, Hinata's face twitched and Sakura could tell that her friend had counted the bodies and realized that her own was not one of them.

"Naruto, this is the only woman in the carriage?"

Sakura looked at the blonde man who nodded and smiled. Hinata had stiffened once again and turned to face the man with the long brown hair.

"N-Neji-niisan?" Her voice spoke quietly.

Sakura gasped in horror. She knew whom Hinata was talking about almost instantly. Her body shuddered as a chill ran down the nerves of her spine as she watched her tiny friend look in dread at the people surrounding her.

Neji Hyuga was a well-known person in the world, to both the Haruno and the Uchiha. He had been Hinata's cousin at one point and had lived near them with his father who was the younger twin to Hinata's own father. However, Neji's father had been executed for giving information to the Uchiha and Neji had been beaten aside for being raised by a traitor. He had disappeared and was not seen again by the main household. That is, until he was unexpectedly was seen again on the battlefield, this time fighting alongside the Uchiha.

And Sakura knew who had captured her friend. She could have hit herself in the head for being oblivious to the large marking on the back of the man with the black hair. The Uchiha Clan's symbol was clear in the daylight.

"This woman is a Hyuga, Naruto. Not a Haruno!"

"What?"

"Look at her eyes! Do they look like a Haruno to you?"

The blonde man named Naruto looked closer at Hinata, whose eyes were wide in terror.

"They look like yours Neji!" He gasped loudly. His finger pointed directly at the face of his comrade. Neji slapped his hand away roughly.

"It was a fucking decoy…" a new voice spoke up. Sakura knew immediately it came from the Uchiha. She was shocked at just how dark it had come out though and Sakura could have sworn that he had growled out the words. "Neji."

When the Uchiha said the man's name he quickly snapped Hinata up from the neckline of her dress and lifted her against the carriage. Sakura's eyes widened at how forcefully the man completed the action and it didn't take long to realize that Neji obviously had no good feelings toward his cousin.

"Where is the real carriage? Where is the Haruno?"

Sakura realized then what they had been after.

Her.

**XxXxXxXxX**

She couldn't stand this any longer. She was going to die for doing such a brass action she knew, but if it meant Hinata had a chance to live, she would take it. Hinata deserved to live; she did not deserve this.

Sakura quickly pulled the sword out of its sheath and raised it toward her face. She looked at her reflection for a moment, noting that nothing could be seen. Not even her green eyes, which were hidden by the shadows of the helmet.

Sakura would do whatever she would have to in order to give Hinata the best chance to survive. She slipped out of the woods silently and inched toward the Uchiha, who stood in the middle. She figured that he was the leader and that if she went for him the others would protect him.

None of the three were wearing armor and although Sakura should have felt that was an advantage, something told her that these men were very strong and probably didn't even need the armor as protection.

None of them noticed her approach and Hinata did not seem to see it either. Her hands clawed at her cousins and tried to get them removed from her dress. Sakura stood a few feet away from them now and slowly raised the sword up in the air; prepared to bring it down onto the black haired man's back.

However at her decision to do it, the blonde man spoke.

"Neji maybe you—"

Hinata's eyes started to flicker over to the person who had spoken but they stopped once they landed on Sakura.

Sakura's arms came down with all the force she could muster.

The clang of metal clashing was a shock for Sakura. It took her a moment to realize that the Uchiha had not only turned around, but also blocked her sword with his own. How someone could move that fast was impossible for Sakura to understand.

The man moved his sword and twisted it around so that he prepared to hit Sakura in her side. She quickly blocked his katana and stopped it dead its tracks. Sakura supposed that he had used a lot of force in the swing and yet it barely moved an inch when it collided with her own.

Sakura couldn't help but smirk at her strength.

However, the smirk was wiped clean off her face when she took in the Uchiha's face. Obviously she had heard the gossip that the Uchiha were extremely beautiful people. The maids loved to talk about it all the time. Sakura just never expected to what an understatement beautiful had been.

This Uchiha's face was perfect. And he was the most amazing thing that Sakura's eyes had ever landed on. He had bangs that framed his face and a noise that was thin and straight, making his Uchiha colored eyes—a brilliant colored onyx—looked as if they had been placed in a perfect position to keep his face even. His skin was pale and Sakura could see the delicious muscles in his arms flex as he held his sword.

Sakura had never been so aware of a man in her life.

And though her face was already red from the heat and the running she had done, she knew it brightened even further when she felt a tingling sensation between her legs.

The Uchiha pushed her back with a thrust of his sword and then turned to the man named Naruto. Sakura brought her sword into a defensive position.

"You complained that we didn't leave any for you Naruto. Take care of him."

Sakura could have moaned in pleasure when the man spoke. His voice was smooth and deep and was certainly so much better than any singer or performer she had seen in her days.

"But Sasuke-teme, he's just a child…"

"Take. Care. Of. Him." The Uchiha growled out.

Sakura pouted at being called a child, but they figured that her size lead people to believe that she must be a very young Haruno that had not grown into the muscles yet. Just a child; no wonder those guards were upset that she had been recommended by Raku himself.

But the fact that she was called a child brought her back to reality. It made her realize that even though this Sasuketeme (what a weird name) was more handsome than anyone she had met and even though he had caused her heart to pick up with just his voice alone…

He was an _Uchiha._

He would not hesitate to kill a child as long as it had Haruno blood running through their veins.

The blonde man stepped forward and Sakura turned her attention on him quickly. She stepped pace and pace with him. Every step forward, she took one back. She turned her head to look at Hinata who was watching her with horror stricken eyes that seemed to scream "run, run."

But Sakura could not run, not until she had saved Hinata, and even if Sakura were selfish and wanted to flee, she wondered if Sasuketeme would allow that.

Sakura stopped moving once she was a few feet away from the woods. She assumed he was trying to bring her to where the foliage was thick and he was trained to fight in. She would allow him an advantage.

Lunging forward with quick power Sakura swung her sword as his neck, aiming for a quick blow like she had seen during battle training with her brother. The blonde blocked the incoming attack with his own sword, but Sakura could see his eyes widen when the force of her swing caused his sword to continue towards his neck.

He quickly maneuvered so that his own sword wouldn't cut off his head.

"Shit! I keep forgetting how strong you Haruno are."

Sakura ignored him and quickly aimed for a lower body strike, hoping that if she injured his leg, she could take him out while the pain momentarily distracted him. He blocked again, but this time twisted his arm in a way that forced Sakura to step to the side so he didn't sprain her wrist.

This time he swung at her.

However she was prepared for him to go for a body strike, not to go straight for her sword. With the collision, he maneuvered his sword once again so that Sakura's hand was bent at an awkward angle and forced her to release her weapon.

Her katana hit the ground a few feet away.

"I'm sorry about this. No hard feelings right?" The blonde smiled as he started to draw back his sword. And something about that grin made Sakura snap. Without control of her own, Sakura's hand curled into a fist and thrust forward directly at the Naruto man's face.

A cracking sound commenced.

"Oh fuck!" He wailed as he hit the ground, clutching at his face with his hand.

Sakura smirked behind her armor; she was sure she broke his nose and damaged his face quite a bit with the strength she had used.

"No hard feelings right?" She repeated in a 'Yoshiro ' voice, the smug undertone overpowering everything else.

Quickly she grabbed her Katana off the ground and stood. She ignored the wails of the blonde and ran back at the Uchiha and Neji who were once again trying to get information out of Hinata. The Uchiha, however turned around before she was a few steps away from Naruto.

His bored face took in his comrade before his eyes landed on Sakura once again.

His eyes turned a darker shade of black as he unsheathed his sword and walked toward her.

Sakura stopped as she prepared for a series of his lightning quick attacks. She was unsurprised when he attacked her first.

She managed to continuous block every attack of his as he continued to slam into her sword again and again. His movements forced her to back up in order to gain preparation time to block him. He was the fastest sword wielder she had ever seen.

She was distracted from what was going on around her and failed to realize just exactly what Sasuketeme was trying to do. When her foot hit the edge of a tree stump, she could not stop herself from falling backwards and losing hold of her sword while doing so.

Her head hit the ground hard and she knew that is she stood, her helmet would most likely fall from her head and her hair would be free.

She looked up at the raven-haired men who gazed down at her in overwhelming power. He had the same emotionless face as he always did. He lifted one of his arms in the air while the other reached down toward her helmet. She raised her hands to block him, but like with everything else, he was too quick and easily ripped off her helmet.

Sakura was sure what met his sight was something he was not prepared for. She wouldn't know of course because she closed her eyes in hope that somehow it would lessen the pain of death.

When nothing happened, she peaked through her eyelashes in order to look at him.

His katana was still raised in the air to be brought down on her, but his wide eyes showed no inclination that he was about to end her life anytime soon.

However, others would not know the same thing.

"Sakura!"

* * *

A/N: Haha, I just couldn't resist putting that fight scene with Naruto in it. lol, Naruto was so convinced he won and then BAM, Sakura does something that no other knights do and just punches him square in the face. Ah….

Sakura grew up in a sheltered place. Although she learned fuck quiet early on she doesn't realize what teme means and just assumes that it is the second part of Sasuke's name.

Okay now seriously don't expect an update for quite a while. I have to post my other stories up too.

REVIEW?

~Halfkyuubikat


	4. Wedding: The End is the Beginning

A/N: Chapter 3 is here.

Yay~!

So in order to lengthen the time I have to update this story I am setting a review qualification. I would like to see at least **40 reviews** before I update. That is my minimum, however if you are to reach the **65 review **mark, I will discard whatever story I am writing and finish the next chapter for this.

Can you do it? :P

**Frequently Asked Questions**

**Q1: When will you UPDATE!**

_A1: Right now! Hohohoho..._

_**UNEDITED! THERE WILL BE A LOT OF MISTAKES! PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR WAIT FOR EDIT!**_

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**XxX **_The Darkest Knight _******XxX**

**XxX** _Halfkyuubikat_ **XxX**

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_Wedding: The End is the Beginning_

* * *

**Psalm 45**

_Ode for a Royal Wedding_

**My heart overflows with a goodly theme;**

**I address my verses to the king;**

**My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.**

**You are the most handsome of men;**

**Grace is poured upon your lips;**

**Therefore God has blessed you forever.**

**Gird your sword on your thigh,**

**O mighty one,**

**In your glory and majesty**

* * *

Sakura's eyes flashed toward Hinata who was rooted in place, her eyes widening in shock as she placed her hand over her mouth. The green then raced back toward the Uchiha who still had his arms raised for a fatal strike, his slightly shocked eyes finally narrowing.

And Sakura made a split second decision that she was sure saved her life.

She quickly thrust her knee upwards until it made contact with Sasuketeme's crotch. She didn't even bother waiting to see if it had distracted him, because with the amount of strength she put into it, she knew even the strongest of knights would be on their knees for a moment. She quickly flipped herself over and crawled away from underneath the Uchiha's body before she quickly sprang to a standing position.

She quite honestly didn't really know where to go from here, because that 'knee him in the crotch' move was a split second decision, but she figured she might as well retrieve her discarded sword. She didn't hesitate in lunging for her katana and when it was safely in her hands, she turned around to face her enemies.

A gust of wind traveled through the trees and creating a whistling sound that filled the complete silence. The breeze reached Sakura and she welcomed the cooling air as more sweat trailed down her face.

The wind grew louder and still the five living members remained in their dead silence.

Neji was still holding Hinata captive in his arms, but his attention was elsewhere. Hinata was completely still with her terrified eyes focused only on Sakura. Naruto was still clutching his nose with his palm and Sakura could see blood trails that had slipped between his fingers. He still managed to have a grin on his face as he looked toward Sasuketeme in an almost mockingly way.

Sasuketeme was staring at Sakura with an almost murderous aura surrounding him. There was a large scowl on his face that only supported his anger, but Sakura noticed how some of his facial expression showed pain. She also noticed he had one of his hands on his knee to support himself.

It seemed that she had done some damage.

And it seemed that the Uchiha was quite pissed about it. When he lifted his sword back into the air, Sakura quickly positioned herself into a defensive position. But she didn't move an inch from there afterwards.

She couldn't win.

She could fight, she could act strong, but the truth was she would lose a battle against any of the three men and most certainly in a battle against all of them. Sasuketeme and Naruto had both knocked her Kanata from her grasp and both would have dealt her a finishing blow if she had not used underhanded tactics to fight back.

If she tried to fight, she would die.

And so would Hinata. And the one thing that Sakura wouldn't accept is Hinata's death due to Sakura's foolishness. There was a chance that Hinata could live and Sakura had every intention to take advantage of it.

"Sasuketeme." When the words left her lips, all three males heads snapped toward her and she swore that the Uchiha's aura increased tenfold. On the other hand, Naruto burst into laughter that quickly turned into gasps of pain. Hinata looked horrified as well.

Well this was a great start to her compromise.

"You're after me right? The Haruno Princess? I heard you yelling at Hinata about it. I'll make you a deal, if you—"

"A deal?" Sasuketeme hissed out. He looked like he was ready to spit out venom, so Sakura quickly continued as she knew from experience with her family that letting people get time to protest was not a good thing. That obviously why her father had sprung the whole Saint Hikari thing on her at the last second.

"Yes a deal. You came for me and I'll let you take me without a fight, but in return you let her—you let Hinata go."

"No! Saku—" The rest of Hinata's cry was muffled. Sakura didn't even bother to look over at her friend. She knew that Hinata would protest vividly against this.

The Uchiha seemed to scoff for a moment, before his gaze hit Sakura intensely. She found herself having a difficult time swallowing.

"I-I...I swear I won't fight at all." And to emphasize that point she boldly let her only weapon drop to the ground. "Just promise you will let Hinata live. That's all I want."

His eyes seemed to be calculating something for a brief moment, before his mouth finally opened.

"Neji."

Sakura's eyes turned quickly toward the Hyuga who after watching his leader released his hold on his cousin. Hinata fell to the ground in a collapsed heap, tears filling her eyes. She wailed out her mistress's name with a chocked sob that left Sakura feeling so immensely guilty she felt her own eyes water slightly.

Sakura attempted to smile in front of her friend; trying to give a simple reassurance.

"It'll be alright Hinata."

"N-N-No! Sakura-hime! You don't understand! That man—the person that Neji was rumored to be seen with—Sakura! That's Uchiha Sasuke! That's the Da—"

Hinata's loud objection was stopped when her cousin used his hand to hit the pressure point on her neck. Her limp body hit the ground with a thud.

"Hina—"Sakura's attempt at running toward her unconscious friend was stopped short however when a hand was suddenly gripping her shoulder. And when she saw those black eyes of his again, she suddenly understood just what Hinata had been trying to tell her.

Sasuke Uchiha.

It was a name that was carved into every Haruno's mind. As the crown prince of the Uchiha Clan he had wealth and power on his side and more importantly he had strength that could not be rivaled. There were more rumors circulating that one name than there were with the entire Uchiha Clan.

Some said that he had yet to be injured on the battle field and others said that he was able to fight a hundred men at one time. It was rumored that he had started fighting in the war when he was only seven years old. But there was one fact that was certain to be true. Uchiha Sasuke had killed more Haruno's during the years he fought in the war than could be counted. Terror was felt at the mention of his name and if you were to meet him in battle the chances of your return were slim to none. Most importantly though was that his hate for the Haruno Clan is said to be unrivaled by all except perhaps King Fugaku himself.

Due to all the rumors and dark tales that surround the Uchiha he was dubbed the "Dark Knight."

Grabbing her shoulder was one of the most dangerous men of all time and the realization of that fact hit Sakura hard. Her body shut down as she came to really understand just who she had surrendered to. She didn't really understand what started happening after that dismay hit her.

Sasuke never removed his hand from her shoulder and she dully noted that he kicked the sword she threw down away from them. The shock in Sakura's bloodstream was too much for her to shake his touch away or for even to get embarrassed like she would have otherwise. Neji disappeared leaving Hinata still asleep on the ground, but Naruto walked up to her—his nose wrapped in gaze—and picked her up bridal style.

She watched as the blonde gently laid Hinata just into the shade of the trees. Sakura didn't fail to notice that he had picked a spot a good distance away from the carnage of the fallen knights and had laid Hinata down in a position that when she did awake she wouldn't have to see the gruesome sight in her line of sight.

The only thing she really could hope was that Hinata was kept safe until someone with good intentions found her.

The arm on her shoulder suddenly tightened its hold. Sakura turned from her view of the sleeping Hyuga to the Uchiha looking down at her. A shiver spread down Sakura's spin again and she felt for the first time in a while that she may be sick. The Uchiha's mouth opened to let out a single word.

"Undress."

**XxXxXxX**

They walked through the woods for quite a while. Without the armor adding extra weight it wasn't nearly as hard to avoid tree stumps and bushes as it could have been. She wouldn't be able to deny the mini heart attack she had received when Sasuke had ordered her to undress. Although taking off the armor wasn't a necessarily bad thing, how cladly dressed her underclothes for the armor left her was horrifying. Seeing as she couldn't wear a dress under armor, she had been forced to wear a young boy's button up shirt as her top and a pair of oversized shorts that did not completely cover her legs.

She already had multiple scratches on the lower parts of her legs from where she got too close to branches and thorns, but trusting that her body would have them healed in a day or two left Sakura with no worries.

Instead she tried to imagine where these men were taking her.

And after getting some none too pleasant images back, she chose to instead to ignore those thoughts as well.

Eventually they reached what seemed to be a camp-site that had been used the night before. It seemed that this attack on her carriage had been planned well beforehand and it just made her wonder how they had obtained so much information about her departure to Saint Hikari.

When she heard a neighing sound, Sakura turned to see three horses tied to some trees surrounding the make-shirt camp.

The horses were all large stallions, but the black one was by far the largest. His form was that of a champion and Sakura knew from one look that this was a war horse. If it wasn't from his outstanding size, it was from the multiple scars that were scattered across its flank.

Too busy admiring the stallion Sakura was surprised when Sasuke pushed her toward the horse until she was right beside it. When he said nothing more and she noticed Naruto and Neji climbing onto the two other stallions she figured that he wanted her to do the same.

"Am I supposed to get on it?"

"Hn."

When she received no more than a simple grunt for a reply she assumed that it was a yes and attempted to climb onto the horses back. Unfortunately the horse's size vs. her own left her at a substantial disadvantage and even trying to use her strength to pull herself on the back was impossible without a proper hold. Even after jumping a few times to get some momentum going Sakura found herself still on the ground beside the Uchiha.

When she heard a snicker come from Naruto's direction she turned her head to glare and start yelling until with Sasuke's help she was easily lifted onto the horses back. Lifted being a subtle way of saying 'rudely grabbed before chucked upwards and luckily landing on the horses back.'

Immediately Sakura noted that sitting on the horse was uncomfortable; still she managed to get into the proper riding position and prepared to reach for the reigns when she felt the saddle stir as an extra weight

She turned wide-eyed to see the Uchiha seated securely behind her. His arms reached for and in pure shock, Sakura thought for a moment that he was reaching to grab her. However they bypassed her form and told hold of the reigns. When she turned around in order to hide the coming blush on her face, she didn't fail to notice that she could feel puffs of air hit the top of her head. The red in her cheeks only burned brighter at how aware Sakura was of the man behind her.

This was sure to be a long journey.

**

* * *

**

In your majesty ride on victoriously

**For the cause of truth and to defend the right;**

**Let your right hand teach you dread deeds.**

**Your arrows are sharp**

**In the heart of the king's enemies;**

**The peoples fall under you.**

* * *

Some little voice in the back of Sakura's head tried to speak comforting words to her. It tried to tell her that some miracle was going to take place. It whispered words of assurances; it told her that Hinata would be discovered by soldiers and they would proceed to come save her. It told her that Raku would probably be worried that she had tried to run and was already on his way to Hikari to make sure she was delivered safely.

It told her that somehow, someway, some Knight in Shining Armor was going to rescue her.

And as the voice kept talking, it slowly morphed to stop mirroring her own and instead changed to the voice of a male. And despite the words of comfort still leaking into her system, the voice made her realize that she had been lying to herself all along if she believed a fairy tale ending would take place.

She recognized the voice as the royal doctor.

Those little assurances that it tried to whisper to her reminded Sakura of the time he had told her that the Queen would live. When he told her that her mother had survived through much worse. That she would survive the injuries she had been dealt. That the Queen was one of the strongest women alive.

Even at the tender age of eight, Sakura had known how fragile her mother was.

To her, she was light as a feather; ready to be carried away on the most delicate of breezes. So Sakura had always believed it was her right as a Haruno to protect her mother. And on that night she had failed miserably. Sakura was left with a small scratch on her arm that was gone the next day and her mother bleed to death in a matter of twelve minutes.

The royal doctor was from then on was in Sakura's eyes a liar; one who fed her false hope only for her world to shatter seconds later.

And nine years later it hadn't changed.

So that little voice whispering those words of hope, telling her that she would be rescued, was lying. Because Sakura already knew the answer herself and lying would do nothing to help her.

The only knight that she would be seeing anytime soon, was the one behind her.

And the "Dark Knight" Sasuke Uchiha was most certainly not the Knight she was hoping would come to her rescue.

No, because Sakura knew.

She knew that he was going to kill her.

And somehow admitting that to herself was much better than half-hoping that the royal doctor was telling the truth. This time it was her lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. This time it was herself that she couldn't protect.

It truly seemed that nine years had not changed her much.

**

* * *

**

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

**Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;**

**You love righteousness and hate wickedness.**

**Therefore God, your God, has anointed you**

**With the oil of gladness beyond your companions;**

**Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.**

**From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;**

**Daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;**

**At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.**

* * *

The stench of blood was beginning to sicken him.

It was not to say that blood in general made him sick and perhaps it wasn't even the fact that it was Haruno blood that had stained his shirt. He was more than sure it had something to do with the woman who was silently sitting in front of him.

He was actually surprised that after a minimal amount of protest about riding the same horse, the woman had settled down. She hadn't even spoken a word since despite clearly knowing who she was sharing her horse with. The fact that she so calmly sat with her back to her enemy left Sasuke with either the belief that she was insanely brave or stupid.

Even though he had not killed her on the trail, she should know the reputation behind his title "Dark Knight." She should now just how many of her kingdom's men have fallen under his sword. She was royalty; someone who was sure to know much about the enemy she fought against.

And yet there she sat perfectly still like she was riding in her palace's garden and not like there was a mass killer only inches away from her back. From her throat, her wrist, from everywhere. Did she even begin to realize how easily he could just end her now?

When the beast they were riding stumbled slightly, the woman fell back. When her warm flesh hit Sasuke's chest it was almost as instantly gone. Her form was suddenly hunched forward, avoiding any contact from him at all possible lengths.

Perhaps it seemed that Sasuke had judged her too quickly.

She did understand just what danger lay behind her.

After a few minutes of remaining almost attached to the black steed's mane, the woman slowly sat back up, till she stood proud and tall once again, reminding him of her royalty and of her pride.

He wondered dully if she would still be able to act like that once they were wed in a few hours.

They would be going to a small village that they had stopped by on their way here. There was an old chapel with a Priest who had been persuaded to hold a last minute Wedding Ceremony by the trio. Although it would only take until a few hours after nightfall to reach the Uchiha's main castle, the King had wanted to insure the marriage as soon as possible.

But Sasuke knew that his father just didn't want a Haruno to be wed at their castle. For a Haruno to become a Uchiha in the same place that so many countless woman were married into the Uchiha before. Where his own mother became a part of the Clan.

It seemed much too sacred for that to occur.

And even when they reached the Castle they would only spend a night there before Sasuke was to take her to a smaller branch castle further away from the Haruno Clan. There they would remain until it was certain that this woman was pregnant.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed her move her hand. Onyx orbs watched when she lifted her hand up and placed it in her hair, before using her fingers to stroke through knots that had formed in the silky texture.

And what was with the pink hair? How could that be natural? It was so...so fucking _annoying_. Everything about the female riding in front of him was annoying. From how tiny she was and somehow managed to still possess that Haruno strength.

The way that now without a suit of armor on he could see how slender her body was. He could see the soft makings of muscle in those skinny arms of hers and yet somehow they managed to not overpower her form like most Haruno women had trouble with. As they were riding on the same horse, he was able to see the swell of her breast that was reveled from her very 'modest' underclothes. She was rather short and Sasuke assumed since she reached about his shoulders that she stood at a tender 5'3". And it seemed that most of height came from her long legs that were clearly visible in his sight and loosely covered by a pair of pants that most Knights' wore under their armor.

He could see the lean leg muscles that were being used to keep her steady on the large horse they were riding and somehow it was just so easy to picture those legs elsewhere. To picture those legs wrapped tightly around his waist. To imagine the feel of those tight muscles being used to—

Sasuke stopped himself. This was becoming a problem. Everything about this woman was a problem. He was one to never make a mistake and yet when he had first caught sight of her, he had actually been distracted enough to hesitate. _Hesitate._ In this world of constant war the littlest mistake like that of hesitation, could spell his end. This woman had oh so kindly demonstrated that fact when she had aimed a low blow at his crotch.

The legendary "Dark Knight" had made a mistake. And it just made it all the more annoying that she had been the cause of it.

As if the woman knew what he was thinking of, she very slowly titled her head to the side in order to look at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. It was only a brief second before she snapped her head back, but it had been enough time for Sasuke to see those eyes of hers.

Those fucking emerald eyes of hers. One's that he had met on the battle field countless times before. One's that he had watched fade to a dull shade of green more frequently than the normal man. One's that brought nothing but blood lust from him.

And yet for a brief second, the owner of that pair of emerald orbs emerald had managed to invoke a totally different type of lust into his being.

When he had removed the helmet from the enemy he had been expecting anything but a woman. And not a woman with an exotic hair color of pink. When he had first seen her slender heart-shaped face with those long eyelashes that barely dusted her rose cheeks he had been reminded of a porcelain doll that women seemed to like so much. The ones that would break with the slightest force.

He had been so hypnotized by the seemingly fragility of the woman he hadn't brought down his sword upon the woman below him.

And whether that was a good or bad thing he had yet to decide.

This Sakura, this future wife of his was attractive.

But it didn't change anything.

She still had the same filthy blood of every other Haruno in this world.

And those bright green eyes were the proof of her disgusting ancestors.

**

* * *

**

Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;

**Forget your people and your father's house,**

**And the king will desire your beauty.**

**Since he is your lord, bow to him;**

**The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,**

**The richest of the people with all kinds of wealth.**

* * *

They were in a small village now.

Sakura hadn't really paid the greatest attention to the direction or how they had managed to get to it. Those types of observations were something she was unable to make.

The village however was another story.

It was in shambles. The houses were small and made out of wood in some horrible condition. She noticed that some of the buildings were rotting away. No one was out of the streets and although Sakura could have assumed it had something to do with the heat and the fact the sun was in its highest position, it made the town appear deserted.

Though after a few minutes of the horses hooves clopping across the rough dirt and stone road, a few doors opened and a few heads poked out. A few children even ran outside to watch the Knights ride into the town. They seemed to perfectly match the rest of the town. They wore clothes that were ragged and torn and barley covered them completely. Their faces were dirty and they watched the arrival into their village with eyes wide with awe.

It was so blatantly obvious that the village was dirt poor.

And it made Sakura wonder why the Uchiha would bother bringing her here. Did it matter where he killed her? Or was this symbolic for him in some way?

He had made it clearly known to her that she was going to die and how could she think anything else. The way he had killed the Knights that traveled with her was obvious that he was just like every other Uchiha. Bloodthirsty and violent.

Of course she didn't hate him for it. How could she? She knew fully well that the Haruno she had seen among her court where just as violent and thirsty for the death of the Uchiha Clan. By saying she hated Sasuke for that was being hypocritical.

Besides Sakura believed that war was the cause for hate.

This was the reason she was so easily able to come to terms with her death. It didn't make her any less afraid of the end however. The slight shaking of her hand was the only outward sign that she was afraid. Inside though she was a chaotic mess of bloody terror.

The only question now was how would her life come to an end? And with the Uchiha taking her to this run down village, was only making that single question harder to answer.

"Naruto, you know what to do."

The gruff voice that suddenly sounded behind her caused her shoulders to flinch back. She turned her head slightly to notice the man that had captured her was facing the blonde one. However she didn't fail to notice the way his eyes flickered toward her when he no doubt saw her move.

She tensed slightly and quickly turned her gaze forward again.

It was near impossible to keep the heat from traveling to her cheeks.

So she found her future killer attractive…Was that a crime? How could any woman not, when he was blessed with such perfect beauty? And his eyes…such a deep black that cause her heart to pound sporadically. She heard that all Uchiha had the same eyes—just like the Haruno had the same emerald green—but she doubted that any member of that clan could have such deadly gorgeous eyes.

Sakura did not blame herself for feeling this way about him. After all she was young and she was going to die. She felt that she had every right to lust after a man for the brief time she was allowed on this earth.

Very much understandable.

So when a muscular arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her in the air before dropping her roughly on the ground, she decided that her rapid heartbeat was totally acceptable.

However just because she was attracted to the dark man, didn't mean she would take his lack of chivalry.

"Hey!" Sakura cried in protest. Her attempt at standing was throttled when she found herself roughly lifted into the air once again.

The emotionless man didn't say anything and only pushed her into his brunette companion's arms. She was rudely held there while the blonde one with the gauze wrap on his nose walked past a corner. Again the idea of how this village had anything to do with her approaching death circled her brain.

A public execution seemed very likely.

In fact, Sakura was more than certain that would be her ultimate end. She had heard various stories about criminal executions. The townspeople generally seemed to enjoy them, especially when the death promised less trouble for them in the future. Burning at the stake, hangings, beheadings were all popular forms of executions. However one story that particularly stayed in Sakura's mind was the tale of a man who had each limb tied to a different horse, and at the same time, each was ordered to run.

Someone Sakura could just imagine the 'Snap' of the man's breaking bones and tearing muscles.

Suddenly, the true terror of death hit her. The fear that had been circling her veins seemed miniscule; like a walk in a park during the bright hours of the afternoon.

She didn't want to die.

She really didn't. She was so angry at her father when she left she hadn't really said goodbye. She regretted that so much now.

Why was she giving up so easily now?

Hinata was safe now. There was no reason to blindly follow these people's every command. She had to at least try and escape. She had strength on her side, just one harsh flick of her wrist and she could make Neji release the hold on her. If she just got out of their sight for a few seconds she could hide or call for help or just keep running. Sakura didn't have to uselessly wait for a Knight to come save her. What had she been trying to tell everyone around her?

She could take care of herself.

And she just had to—

"Don't even try," a thick voice spoke. Sakura's head whipped to the side to see Sasuke still facing toward where the blonde man had disappeared, yet it was obvious to Sakura that he was speaking to her. She nearly scoffed at how observant he was. Or maybe what a lucky guesser he was.

"You'll only create unnecessary pain for yourself. Let's go Neji. He has had enough time to get everything ready."

Sasuke immediately started to walk forward without even waiting for Neji's reply. Sakura blanched at how he just rudely ordered his men about. Especially a Hyuga who is from a noble background. She would have figured someone from such a prideful clan would have said something, but was shocked what the Hyuga followed the Uchiha, tugging Sakura along with him.

She struggled slightly along the way despite Sasuke's warning and although the Uchiha never turned around something about how his shoulder's tensed every time Sakura let out a profanity or yelp, made her eventually walk in silence.

Of course the firm hand that Neji had used to cover her mouth had nothing to do with it.

They only walked for a few minutes before Sasuke headed toward a medium sized building that seemed to be a centerpiece in a rather weed infested courtyard. He pushed the doors open before entering and Neji quickly followed his steps.

She just barely noticed that a large cross was perched upon the worn-down roof, before Neji roughly pushed her into the building.

It became quite obvious to her that the building they had just entered was a church.

Walking down the small walkway toward the alter Sakura's mind was trying to comprehend the fact that they were going to kill her in a Church. Where they trying to prove a point or were they just sickly demented people?

She noticed that standing near the podium of the church was blonde-haired man and a stranger that Sakura had not seen yet. At first she might have assumed it was a fourth member of the Uchiha's party, but upon seeing the robe attire the mystery man was wearing, Sakura realized that he was a Priest.

He held the bible tightly in his hand as he looked on with terror at the approaching group. Neji crudely pushed her forward until she stood face to face with the Priest. How he was involved with Sakura's end was mystifying.

"What are we doing—" Sakura tried to question their actions, before the harsh pressure on her arm suddenly moved to her shoulder and pressed downwards.

"Kneel." It was a command that came from the Hyuga and almost immediately the nerve in Sakura's teenage blood was hit. She suddenly felt that old trait of disobeying orders coming to a forefront.

Sakura immediately started to thrash around, attempting to shake away the hold that Neji still had on her. The pressure on her shoulder increased in an attempt to force her down, but Sakura's lean leg muscles easily kept her on her two feet.

The struggling lasted for a few brief moments, before a sudden noise filled the room; a noise that sounded almost exactly like a dog snarling. Suddenly Sakura found herself falling forward and quickly used her hands to stop herself from collapsing on the ground. It took her a few moments to realize that someone had kicked her legs out from under her. And with the way that the Uchiha was towering over her made it clear of whom the culprit was.

She was almost about to bark out an insult toward the man when she realized that his hand was now reaching to grasp the sword strapped to his side.

And suddenly it became quite clear to her, just what position the kneeling had left her in. It was a standard position for beheading during executions.

This was it.

This was the end for her. In this church, in front of these four men she was going to die. Perhaps the Priest was some sort of witness. Dying in the house of God seemed quite a metaphorical end to Sakura. She figured this was going to be some kind of warning for the rest of the Haruno.

This was really it.

Sakura leaned her head forward quietly and close her eyes, because she knew that running now was useless and yet she refused to lower herself to begging. She would die in honor, not pleading for a heartless man to spare her life.

She really just hoped that her death somehow lead to the war ending. That maybe her father would see her death as the necessary light to realize what a mistake this war was and how many lives had been lost during it. She doubted that though. He would probably launch into a revenge-crazed mania, just like he had in the months following her wife's death.

The most horrifying part of this end was that her existence had been totally useless.

And she would never be able to change anything about that fact.

The clang of medal caused Sakura to flinch in preparation of death, but to her surprise nothing happened. In caution she peaked her eyelids open slightly to see that Sasuke had handed his weapon to the blonde man standing next to the Priest.

And then by far the most shocking thing that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours took place. Sasuke kneeled down beside her. And if the fact that the Uchiha was on his knees wasn't shocking enough for the poor Haruno, he then proceeded to roughly grab Sakura's left wrist and pull it onto a small table in front of them that Sakura hadn't thought of noticing. The only thing decorating the table was a small unlit candle and a twig from some kind of plant.

It didn't even occur to her to notice that these actions were similar to those that she had witnessed while Raku had been wed to Ume during their glorious royal wedding.

When the smooth voice of Sasuke spoke again in that commanding tone, the small area of which his skin was making contact with her own, suddenly burned.

"Begin."

"Y-Yes U-Uchiha-sa-sama."

Sakura's face suddenly burned red when she noted the way Sasuke's calloused hand felt against the smooth skin of her arm and she immediately attempted to wrench her arm away from him. However the tight grip turned painful immediately after her one movement.

She was so distracted in removing herself from Sasuke's grip that she almost didn't notice that the Priest had begun to speak.

"W-We are ga-gathered—"

"Stop stuttering."

Again that demanding tone of his caused her porcelain skin to flare with heat where Sasuke's hand was touching. Sakura's determination to remove the offending body part increased and while ignoring the painful grip he was using to keep her hand held on the table she once again attempted to move her arm away. With the use of her strength she effectively managed to remove her hand from the table, but Sasuke's grip held fast and only seconds later her hand was slammed back onto the table. She repeated the process once again and this time managed to completely remove Sasuke's touch from her. However a powerful grip that found itself on her hand and fingertips made Sakura's short lived victory end completely. This time when her hand was slammed against the wood, the strength he used to crush her fingers made her gasp out in pain.

Sasuke then turned his head to give her a look that had her still completely. The look in his eyes was both terrifying and...sexy. And when the palm of her hands started to slicken with sweat from her embarrassment, Sakura decided to ignore Sasuke's clear warning and continue her futile attempts of removing his grip.

Sakura thrashed her hand around in Sasuke's grip in an attempt to slip her hand away for a few more seconds, until she finally allowed herself to hear just exactly what the Priest had finally manage to speak without his stutter.

"W-We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable est—"

"What!" Sakura's loud shriek filled the small room.

Immediately those little hints that she hadn't been able to piece together before, became clear to her. The candle on the table was to be used for a couple to be wedded as a means to 'bind' them together. Although it was small and previously used, thus making it harder for her to recognize the similarities between the grand one that was the center piece of her brother's wedding, she still recognized the intent.

This was by no means an execution.

No.

This was a wedding.

A wedding in which Sakura and the Uchiha were apparently the main attraction.

What. The. Hell.

"Let go! Let go!" she continued to shriek, as she finally verbally resisted the Uchiha. His steadfast gaze was on her and now the only thing she could feel was pure terror. It seemed to Sakura that those black pits were telling her if she wished to live she should shut up.

And yet, the part of Sakura's mind that obeyed orders like 'shut up' had now completely deteriorated and left in its wake the instinct to resist control at all possible costs.

"Get off of me!" It seemed that an adrenaline rush had kicked into Sakura's blood stream, as she quite easily ripped her hand away from Sasuke's grasp before she bolted straight up. She immediately felt someone grab her and in response she used her elbow to strike them. When she heard a wail followed by a "Not again!" she assumed that she had once again hit Naruto.

Making a hasty escape for the exit was easier said than done, as nearly the moment she turned to run for the door it seemed like ten tons of pressure grabbed onto her at the same time. When she was quite literary lifted off her feet, she once again found herself facing the wide eyed Priest who seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I said let go of me! Let gooo!" Although Sakura felt herself once again being forced to her knees, she protested far more than the last. Her shrieking and flailing arms were evidence of that.

When another two pairs of hands joined the one keeping ahold of her, despite her best efforts. The force of three men still managed to bring her down and her screams were muffled by a hand covering her mouth once again. This time though she attempted to bite what she was sure was Neji's hand, but he seemed to realize what she was attempting and squeezed her jaw tight enough to ensure she wasn't able to deal him any damage.

"Get on with it!"

"I-I I don't th-think that without the Lady's consent we may—"

"I said to get on with it!" The roar that escaped Sasuke at that moment was enough to even stop Sakura's struggling for a brief moment. The pure fury that seemed to be radiating from him was not being hidden any longer.

"U-Uchiha-sama, wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou lov—"

"I will." Came Sasuke's gruff reply before the Priest had even finished the words. Sakura knew enough from Raku's wedding that the Uchiha had skipped a good portion of Ceremony. And that he had completely cut off the 'Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?' part of the promise.

"The-Then, H-Haruno-sama, wilt thou—"

"Of course she will!" The loud outburst that came from Naruto actually had Sakura's somewhat surprised. She didn't know if she had expected for them to allow her to speak her own views on this total sham, but now it seemed that any thought of that was completely foolish. Obviously someone else would answer for her.

She had never been allowed to speak her own thoughts. Or more accurately her thoughts would never be listened to.

Never.

"T-T-Then for the vows. If you may repeat after me—"

"Skip them." Sakura's struggling had yet to decrease and she didn't fail to notice that the work of keeping her knelt on the ground had caused Sasuke's usually monotone voice to have a slight hint of strain in it. It made her smirk against Neji's hand in satisfaction as she tried harder to fight against the three men still holding her down.

"B-But they are—"

"I said skip them!"

"A-A-A...G-GOD the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that ye may so live to-together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have li-life everlasting. A-Amen. T-Then I now pronounce you H-Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."

And when a large hand grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her roughly forward to meet her Husband's lips in an angry and bruising kiss, the jumbled mess that was Sakura's brain couldn't even realize the fact that she had just been wed. No, instead a little voice from the back of her head quietly squeaked out that she had just lost her first kiss.

**

* * *

**

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;

**In many-colored robes she is led to the king;**

**Behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.**

**With joy and gladness they are led along**

**As they enter the palace of the king.**

* * *

She felt pathetic in so many ways. The worst was the fact that she was about to cry. She felt the tears forming and it was taking all her will power not to break down and just herself collapse to the floor in sobs. It had been so long since she had truly cried. A few months after her mother's death she was sure. How was it possible that she hadn't cried in nearly nine years?

It was in Sakura's attempt to seem strong. She didn't want people to look at her with those eyes filled pity and bend to her every whim just because she could shed a few tears. It was pathetic and only the most selfish of ladies did it.

And yet that was the precise reason she was about to break down in tears in this moment.

She wanted people to pity her. She wanted the guards that were roughly dragging her down the hallway to feel pity on the fate she was now living. She wanted them to see her as a human being that was being treated unfairly.

And the way the knights in their uniforms with the Uchiha symbol on the chest pushed her repeatedly made her realize that they thought nothing of her.

When they had thrown her into a room, a few maids quickly stripped her bare and washed her roughly before they threw on a skimpy blue gown with a black shawl that was thrown atop it. The clothes were elegant, but also seemed almost depressing.

The type of clothes that Sakura would have worn for a funeral.

Perhaps that is what the maids thought of her. Sakura hadn't failed to notice the way they did their best not to touch her. The way they had gazed at her with eyes filled with disgust. Maybe they viewed this as a time of mourning, because Sakura could tell she was hated in this place.

As soon as she had all the clothes on they roughly pushed her own back out and was met with a group of guards that started dragging her deep into the castle. Every time she stumbled or tripped they didn't let her catch herself, they only lugged her up from her arm and pushed her forward again.

It had stayed silent in the travels until a few of the guards in the back started discussing the maids of the castle and which ones they had laid with recently. They spoke in gruff terms that made Sakura sick in her stomach.

Not that she hadn't heard men speak this way before; the guards of the Haruno Castle were just as vulgar and lust filled.

It just so happened that she was afraid of what they were speaking about.

She knew what waited at the end of the hall. She knew exactly what would happen. It was her wedding night after all.

A tear finally slipped past her barrier and rolled softly down her cheek. The water that had collected in her eyes was blurring her sight and making her stumble even more across the uneven stones that were laid down for the walkway.

Sakura stopped for a moment and lifted her hand to rub the offending tears from her eyes. However her actions were interrupted when a hand roughly pushed her forward and almost caused her to fall to the ground.

"Keep going." One of the guards whispered harshly. The disgust was plain in his voice and Sakura knew he had made no attempt to hide it. The tears continued to slip down her face and she made no attempt to stop them.

Her body walked in a swaying matter and she continued to find herself unable to walk in a straight line. The guards said nothing more.

It was obvious to her now.

More than obvious.

They despised her because of her name. They hated her because she was a Haruno. They were disgusted that this Haruno was allowed to live in their castle. That their enemy shared the same roof.

They hated her because she was Haruno Sakura.

But that wasn't true either.

She was an Uchiha now.

"We're here."

**

* * *

**

In the place of ancestors you,

**O king, shall have sons;**

**You will make them princes in all the earth.**

**I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;**

**Therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.**

* * *

So did you like the chapter? The really LONG chapter?

I felt that the Psalm was absolutely perfect fit for this chapter. It brings the right amount of irony and creepiness that makes this chapter awesome. Or at least I think so.

**Review?**

So in order to lengthen the time I have to update this story I am setting a review qualification. I would like to see at least **40 reviews** before I update. That is my minimum, however if you are to reach the **65 review **mark, I will discard whatever story I am writing and finish the next chapter for this. But seriously if you get more than 65, like reaching 90 reviews (far-fetched I know) I would seriously update this the next day…anyways…I feel it is an equal trade since I know plenty of people have favorite'd this story (thank you very much by the way!)

So that means, **155 + 40 = 195 **or **155 + 65 = 220**

Can you do it? :P

~Halfkyuubikat


	5. Anger: The Most Guilty of Pleasures

A/N: I promised right? A quick update, here it is. (Sorry it wasn't in a day. I had school and I wanted to make it a good chapter. I figure you guys would have rather wait a few days then get a short 1,000 word chapter).

You -cough-nice-cough- reviewers actually made me freak out. My jaw seriously hit the floor when I saw how many reviews came while I was at school. In ONE day. ONE day. I never expected or desired so many reviews...you guys...You're amazing. Thank you. Seriously...But besides that. **I'm never doing the review qualification again.** NEVER.

Some reviewers (and there were a lot)...were...well made me realize that having a review qualification set for this story was a really bad idea. The idea really was never for my own pleasure as it was to get another chapter out for you guys and I had made it sure to have it at 40 reviews which had been reached in every chapter before. Anyways, since I made a bad move with the review qualification thing, I won't be setting a review amount again.

_**WARNING: **_From this point on there will be **smut** in the story. Read at your own risk.

**__****Frequently Asked Questions**

**Q1:** **A review qualification? Seriously?**

_A1: Please read the above. But basically there is no longer a Review Qualification for this story. I'm sorry for doing it in the first place. __I really am sorry for making some of you feel blackmailed into reviewing; that was never my intention. I hope you will continue to read this story anyway._

**Q2: Poor Sakura! Will things get better for her?**

_A2: Wow. I had no idea how bad I had made Sakura's life in the last chapters until someone listed it out for me. I'm such a horrible person. And the worst part is the answer to this question is mostly No. Sakura has a rough battle ahead of her and at moments it will seem like I'm a Sadist, but trust me this story is going somewhere. Sakura will also find some better things along her way, and in order to get past the tough future it makes her a really strong character (which I noticed many of you like)._

**Q3: Hinata-chan! What will happen to her? And why didn't she come too?**

_A3: Later in the story, you'll find out what happened to Hinata, but to clear a few fears, Hinata safely returns to the Haruno Castle. I'm no monster and Hinata is too adorable to be unnecessarily cruel to. The reason that Hinata didn't come along is mostly related to the 'Poor Sakura' question. In order to get to the place that I desired, I realized that Sakura had to be as isolated as possible from others. _

**

* * *

**

**XxX** _The Darkest Knight_**XxX**

**XxX** _Halfkyuubikat_ **XxX**

...

...

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_Anger: The Most Guilty of Pleasures_

* * *

**The mouth of a loose woman is a**

**deep pit;**

**he with whom the LORD is angry**

**falls into it.**

Proverb 22:14

* * *

They shoved her into the dimly lit room, before the large wooden doors were slammed closed. No words had been spoken. But she could hear the shouts and caterwauls from the men until they faded and the only noise that remained was the thudding of her own heart. The traitorous tears that ran down her face were silent. She sat on the floor in a huddle, not even attempting to stand.

She was a pathetic mess and she wanted to stay that way for the moment. She wanted to let the misery consume her if only a few short seconds. But the thing is, she couldn't even allow that much time to do it. She was in an unknown environment and she had no idea just where her 'husband' was. Because she knew what this horrifying moment was.

Slowly she lifted her hand and used it to brush away the little water streaks that rolled down her face. It was not the time to feel sorry for one's self. It was time to see her surroundings.

When she lifted her head the first thing she noticed was that she was completely alone. Sasuke and his lackeys and the rest of the Uchiha were nowhere in sight. This was much better.

Sakura placed her hands on her knees and forced herself to stand. She noted that the soreness in her wrist had vanished and there was no bruise on her skin where Sasuke had grabbed her so tightly. Anger still pulsed through her anyway. For her to be treated so harshly wasn't honorable or acceptable for any man to treat a lady.

"Damn Uchiha. Is chivalry dead?"

Sakura first went to the door and tried to open it. Not to her surprise it was locked and even after pulling at the large doors with her strength it was still useless. After cussing out the door, Sakura turned to see if there were any other possible exits. She opened the only door to the room and discovered it was an attachment bedroom to the living area she had been trapped.

Hesitantly she entered the room and walked around the bed. Another grand door way was present and like the one before was locked. With an exasperated sigh, Sakura kicked the door before she turned with every intent on checking the windows of the bedchamber for any possible escape routes; except to her shock her husband stood in front of her.

"Holy fu—where did you come from?" Sakura gasped out, her back automatically hitting the door. The only answer to Sakura's question was a casual grunt as he tucked his hands into the pocket of his pants. His clothes had been changed and instead of the blood stained shirt, Sasuke wore a casual dress shirt that was unbuttoned and a pair of pants. His katana was still strapped to his hip.

A silence resumed between the pair and Sakura noted just how...awkward the air between the two was.

It seemed like a few minutes passed in silence with her eyes completely focused on his face, before Sakura's eyes started to wander lower. The white shirt he was wearing was wide opened and showed a pleasant view of his chest and abdomen. The defined muscles had Sakura admiring with lust, until she noticed the multiple faded scars that littered his skin.

Immediately Sakura was sent back into the reality of the danger standing in front of her and she snapped her head back up to meet the Uchiha.

His eyes seemed to have an almost knowing look that left Sakura filled with embarrassment at her actions. A small blush filled her cheeks as anger overtook her from Sasuke's silence.

"Why didn't you kill me?" she blurted out. Sasuke made no inclination that he had heard her speak and the same emotionless expression remained on his face.

"I mean," Sakura continued, "that's what any logical person would think. That's what any normal Uchiha would have done. You didn't seem to having any opposition to killing me while I was a Haruno Knight, so tell me why you didn't kill the Princess. I'm sure that would have gone over real well with your clan, they certainly don't enjoy my company here. Death was what I was expecting, so tell me why we are Husband and Wife now?"

Sasuke stood in silence for a second and Sakura doubted he would even answer her until his lips parted.

"Hn."

"What? What is that supposed to mean? I think I deserve a little knowledge as to why I'm here!"

This time Sasuke didn't even grunt let alone speak and Sakura let out a bitter laugh in response. Again the tense silence resumed between them.

Sasuke didn't even seem to have a point to be here and it obviously didn't seem to have the mood of a wedding night so why—wait. How did he get in here in the first place? Sakura looked quickly at the exit to the extended room before she turned her head back at the Uchiha.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Sakura hadn't noticed any other entry ways in either of the rooms. Surely, he had come from the first entryway and it would seem completely illogical to lock the door in case of any emergency that presented itself. Which meant more than likely that would her best shot at an escape.

Of course the Uchiha was still here and watching her. Plus he had her cornered against the door, blocking the doorway to the living area.

If she wanted any chance to leave this place she would have to get passed him and those all-seeing eyes of his. A distraction was necessary.

"Really?" She shouted.

"You can't give me a simple answer as to why you married me? You can't give me any reason to understand why I'm not dead? Personally I thought my death was going to be the outcome of the agreement. I even accepted that fact." Sakura walked forward from the door a few steps, acting as though her anger was making her challenge him and the distance between them. Unsurprisingly, he did not move an inch.

"So can you please tell me why instead I found myself married to you in that fraud of a weddin—"

"The marriage was not a fraud." Sasuke coldly interrupted.

"Excuse me? What do you call something in which the bride is forcefully held to the ground? Do you mean to say that a wedding is where half the ceremony is skipped and the wife doesn't even give her consent to it? How is this marriage real? How—"

"A marriage consists of more than just the ceremony; you saw the formal papers being signed. This marriage is real."

"Yes you signed the papers, but I didn't even touch them." Sakura growled out. As her anger got the best of her, she momentarily forgot what she had been attempting to do. However, she took another side-step closer to Sasuke that left her with a clearer view of the doorway. With a few more steps she would be home free.

"The bride is not supposed to sign. Only the husband, Priest, and witnesses are needed to make the marriage official. I do not think marriage customs are so different in the Haruno kingdom than they are here."

Sakura inwardly cursed this male run society as she desperately searched for another way to keep the conversation going. Sasuke had yet to notice how close she was having a near perfect escape route.

"Ye-Yes. B-But...But isn't it customary that the Bride's father signs the marriage papers as well? That he formally agree to giving away his property to the Groom?"

"It is a custom, but not necessary."

Sakura tensed to sprint for the door when Sasuke's thick voice startled her.

"Don't even try."

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched the Uchiha side-step so that he was an obstacle in her escape path. She growled inwardly at how close she had been to making a run for it.

"You won't make it to the door."

"And how do you know that?" Sakura hissed out, her pride surfacing. She was a fast runner, all she had to do was shove a few things his way and she would make it to the door.

"I know."

Sakura scoffed at his overconfidence, but when she remembered the katana still in his possession she angrily realized she would have to rethink her actions. A matter of pride was still not worth losing her life so foolishly.

Perhaps she should look at those windows? Her eyes flashed toward the decorate glass. Sakura assumed they weren't that high off the ground and maybe if she was lucky some kind of vine or plant would be growing by the wall. Breaking the glass wouldn't be that hard especially with some of the furniture in the room. Throwing one of the large decorative vases at the glass would definitely work. All she needed was to—

"It's useless. You won't be leaving this room tonight."

Sakura's eyes widened almost comically. "Wha-What did you say?" she managed to sputter out. She felt a wave of heat travel up her cheeks as Sasuke continued to look at her with those black orbs of his. His eyes almost tauntingly traveled down her body and Sakura embarrassing remembered just what kind of attire she had been dressed in. The black lingerie was barley concealing her legs and the shawl that was placed over her still left a large amount of her neck exposed to view.

When Sasuke's eyes finished their survey and returned to view her flushed face, his firm lips twisted up into a smirk. The crooked smirk was enough to send a flash of heat down between her legs.

"You heard me." He whispered as he took a step in her direction.

And with a face red all the way up to her ears, Sakura managed to violently hiss at him.

"Get away from me."

* * *

"Get away from me."

There was a fire in her eyes that burned with such a deep aggression that Sasuke was impressed. She was making it obvious she wouldn't be taking anyone's crap any time soon. She really did have a...feisty attitude. It was something you wouldn't expect from a princess. From birth they are trained to be submissive and proper among men, and yet here was this girl growling out profanities and out right rebelling against her 'husband.'

Everything she was doing was going against what she should have been raised to be.

He watched her back up further from him and he noticed that she was inadvertently headed toward the large bed in the center of the room. Ah, she was making this too easy.

It would be easy enough to seduce her. He had seen the way her eyes had gazed over his body, looking at the fine contours of his body. The blush on her face was all the evidence he needed to know that she found him attractive.

And perhaps bedding her wouldn't be as dreadful of a thought as he had first assumed. Her body although lacking womanly curves was still slim and beautiful, and he would admit she was quite attractive with the exotic nature of her hair. He would acknowledge that the risqué clothing looked good on her body. Sleeping with this woman wouldn't be that much of a tedious task and he would only have to commit the act as many times as it took to impregnate her.

As long as he didn't have to look into those eyes of hers, it would be the same as bedding any other woman.

It would be easy enough to accomplish this task before him.

He took another step forward and watched with knowing amusement that she would take a step back in response. When she did as he predicted, her leg hit the back of the bed and distractedly her head turned to see what had hindered her movement. Taking the moment to his advantage Sasuke pushed her body downward so that she landed on the bed.

Her mouth opened in shock and she gasped out when Sasuke leaned over the edge of the bed to hover over her.

However before he could get on the bed himself, a force hitting his stomach set him reeling backwards. Sakura was already scrambling across the sheets in the direction of the opened doorway and Sasuke realized too late, she had never given up her initial plan to escape. When her feet hit the floor and she launched herself across the room, he barely had time to catch a hold of her waist before she fled under the wooden banister.

"No!" She screamed, her fist making a clean contact with his cheekbone even with her back facing him. He vaguely registered the pain before he walked back toward the bed. Albeit not before using his foot to slam the doorway closed.

"Let me down! Let me down!" Her caterwauling screams where directly placed near his earlobes and Sasuke found that a powerful headache was forming. This bitch was really too much.

Roughly Sasuke deposited her on the bed and this time caught the leg that attempted to push him away again. He wasn't foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice. With a bit of a struggle between them he managed to have her completely pinned underneath him. Having to use all his body weight and strength to keep her from throwing him off.

Little beads of sweat were forming on his brow.

Those twin orbs of green hell-fire were glaring at him with the hatred in the world it seemed. Not that Sasuke cared much; he didn't exactly enjoy her company either.

Eager to get this first night over with, Sasuke thoughtfully removed one of his hands from his hold on both her wrists without her easily breaking free. He used his hand to push the blue shawl up and over her head.

Her pink hair had become a disheveled mess sometime during all the struggling between the husband and wife. The disarray mess that was her hair, however actually made her appear sexy. Enough so that the sight of her cladly dressed state was able to awaken the lower half of his body.

The tearing of cloth was heard as Sasuke further exposed Sakura's upper breasts to his view. Sakura's furious gasp filled the air as her nipples perked up against the cloth of her gown.

"Stop it! I don't want to do—"

"I'm your husband." He bit out having enough of her protests. Sakura's eyebrows formed a scowl as her mouth formed a grim line.

"No you're not! You're just a—"

"Is this really so different from an arranged marriage? Is this not like the wedding night countless other couples experience?" He reached up to give her breast a squeeze with his free hand; Sakura numbly looked at him in anger.

She did not answer his question.

Sasuke knew she saw the logic. Most couples that were engaged through their parents did not meet often before their marriage and the few times they did was never in private. They were strangers when they met in their wedding bed.

Even if their marriage was different than others, this first night was not.

The grim expression on Sakura's face proved that she found his connection correct. However she still wasn't about to give up on this fight. Her mouth opened to surely give some type of protest, but Sasuke would not have any more of that. He smashed his lips against hers and effectively caught her off guard. She gasped into the kiss, and although it was perfect opportunity to introduce his tongue to her mouth, he knew that with a personality like hers she would probably bite him. Instead he focused on using as much force as possible to press his lips against hers as he slowly inched his hand down past her belly-button.

His hand trailed past the skin of her leg, until he was able to put his hand under her gown. Her body tensed.

He didn't waste any time in removing the cloth that covered her purity. Sakura growled against his lips and he finally separated their connected mouths.

"Really, I don't want—"

"Stop fighting it Sakura."

It was actually a surprise to Sasuke at how bright her face turned; the flushed red almost rivaled that of his favorite food. The confusion lasted only as long as it took him to notice how she attempted to close her legs.

When his fingers brushed close to her center, he felt what an intense heat was coming from her. Sakura had her head turned away from him, her face still flushed darkly and he realized with satisfaction she was aroused.

With enough trust he let go of her hands to keep a better hold of himself as he softly traced the warm heat of her entrance. Despite her hands being freed, they did not move from the sheets.

He rubbed her opening a little more, before he moved his fingers up to the little bud that sat atop her maidenhood. With a quick of his finger he stimulated the bud and had Sakura tensing slightly. He stopped suddenly when he saw one of her arms lifting toward him. When it landed on his shoulder, he was surprised that her fingers only clutched at his shirt.

Moving his fingers over her clitoris again, he put a little more pressure to add just the right jolt of pleasure.

Her hand gripping his shoulder tightened.

"A-Ah." The moan left her bruised lips in a quiet whisper.

He had her.

Her breath hitched slightly as he dipped his finger into her hot cavern. A slosh of hot liquid met him and he wondered if her inexperience with men was making her react so strongly to such a mild touch. With expectation he pushed one of his lean fingers into her. Without disappointed Sakura let out a rather loud moan. Her eyes were still shut closed.

Shifting his position slightly—as his hard-on was making him uncomfortable in his previous one—Sasuke began to softly rotate his finger in a circle, before he curled it slightly and pushed against her sensitive walls. Her back arched off the sheets.

But suddenly his sureness was broken when those green eyes suddenly flashed open to look straight at him.

"St-stop!" she cried out, as those hands that were holding onto him started to push against his shoulders. The effort was quite pitiful to what he knew of her strength, but it was still enough to make him grunt with strain as he forced himself not to be moved away from her.

"Stop it! Stop!"

One of her hands reached down and grabbed his wrist. With annoyance, Sasuke removed his hand from her maidenhood so that he could remove her painful grip. After shaking off her hold, he went back to stroking the bud that had won her over so easily.

"Get off—"

He ignored her with the belief that if he brought her enough pleasure she would be distracted once again from any of her protests.

"I said get off me!"

She wouldn't stop fighting against him that much was obvious. Letting out a growl, Sasuke attempted to grab her arm as she repeatedly hit his shoulder. The pain was sharp for a moment, but it disappeared just as easily as it came, before she hit him once again. When he caught her right hand, an impact suddenly hit his chin and slammed his jaw closed.

Roughly he snatched her other hand from his jaw and pinned both her wrists onto the bed.

Her chest was heaving up and down, her face flushed red, and the sight of her pinned down underneath him made more blood rush down to his groin.

"Stop th—" The spit that hit his cheek interrupted Sasuke's attempt at stopping her fit.

"Fuck off!" Sakura growled at him.

He slammed her wrists harder against the bed in anger, before he abruptly got off the bed and faced Sakura. She immediately sat up; her eyes set in a steadfast glare against him.

This attempt at 'seducing' her was not working. She wouldn't be submitting to him any time soon and frankly Sasuke had had enough of her fighting.

"Who the **hell** do you think you are? Do you think that just because we were 'married' against my will, you can now go ahead and try to bed me? I'm not taking any of this shit, so why don't you just—"

"You're annoying."

"What? I'm _annoying_? What the hell do you think you're saying ass-hole? Fuck you! What right do you have to—where are you going?"

Sasuke had had enough of the girl's tantrum and so he simply started walking toward the exit. He wouldn't deal with this now. The vibrant headache had suddenly vanished while he attempted to 'seduce' the girl, but he could feel the beginning of a migraine forming. Listening to her screaming profanities at the top of her lungs, was not helping him any. Going to Tsunade and grabbing some drugs seemed like a much better choice instead of staying here.

Just as he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder to see Sakura still on the bed. Her chest was still partly visible from where he had ripped the gown and the scrap of clothing that was supposed to be underwear still hanged from her leg. If she shifted a bit he would be able to see her maidenhood.

He turned around in disgust that he told himself had nothing to do with the fact he had created that state of appearance forcefully.

"Clean yourself up."

He heard a shocked gasp opened the smaller set of doors to the attachment room, before he stepped into the cool room. He had just prepared to slam the door closed when he heard the girl shout in a voice filled with pure rage.

"You—you fucking TEME!"

On instinct he turned to look at her and only just managed to see the large blue vase in her hand, before she launched it toward him. He barely managed to finish closing the door, before the soaring object could make contact with him.

The vase shattering into a million pieces against the wood was the last sound he heard from the room, before he locked the door, turned away and walked down the hallway. The migraine was pounding against his skull and his cock was throbbing in his pants.

His murderous aura could be sensed a mile away.

* * *

The endless creaking of the wood was the only company Sakura had in her solitude. There were a few pillows and a blanket scrunched up in the corner, but Sakura was avoiding them the best she could. Instead she lay directly on the wood of the carriage.

Funny how although she desperately tried to avoid being trapped to travel in the carriage on her way to Hikari, she still ended up in one.

Very amusing.

This carriage was even worse than the one she would have traveled in with Hinata. It was generally smaller and the only window was boarded up. The heat from the day was collecting in the room from morning till night and it was so suffocating that even breathing made her feel like she was about to choke. She found that if she sat up, the heat only increased and breathing was even harder.

So Sakura spent that last day and a half just lying on the floor. Well except for the four times they let her out to relieve herself in the bushes...in plain sight. The first time that they had let her out, she had refused to even think of going to the bathroom; her pride won over her body and she just stood in the cool air for a minute, before she was ushered back into the sauna. When they had finally stopped again, Sakura hadn't even hesitated in crouching behind a bush. Apparently the pride of a princess could only be carried as far as her bladder.

Shame burned in her cheeks as she numbly flipped herself over so her chest lay on the slightly cool wooden panels.

The silence was broken a short few seconds later when her stomach gurgled. She was starving. _Starving_! Although they were so kind to let her go outside to use the restroom so she didn't pee herself, they hadn't even thought of feeding her. Well, at least since she had been dragged into the carriage to go on her journey.

They had brought some food in the morning after her 'wedding night,' but she had been so angry and frustrated she had barely touched it. As such this was the fourth day she was going on without a solid meal. Sakura may appear to look nothing like the Haruno, but she still had their ungodly appetite and the fact she hadn't eaten in so long was killing her.

She regretted not touching that meal so badly.

Her anger at these turn of events recently had blinded her of necessary needs of life. When a man had brought the food to her and gave her that familiar look of disgust. She had given such a deadly stare he had fearfully run from the room.

But that little moment of victory didn't change the fact of how every last one of them looked at her. The look of disgust was getting old. But it made her start questioning her reason for being here with the Uchiha, because frankly none of it made sense.

Why would...why did they bring her—why did Sasuke marry her? He hadn't answered her questions at all and she was left with just as little understanding as before. It was obvious the Uchiha were displeased with her existence. It was obvious they hated her here; that the Uchiha could care less for her existence. So why would Sasuke marry her? They had never met before; Sakura had never even seen his face before that moment three days ago.

So why?

There was a reason and Sakura knew it was not a good one. After all, if she was supposed to be some kind of peace treaty between the Haruno and Uchiha why would Sasuke have killed all the guards? Why would they hate her so? Why would every Uchiha look at her with such disgust in their eyes? And most certainly why would they feel the need to kidnap her?

So her purpose here was certainly not for her benefit.

"Ugh..." The groan passed through her lips as Sakura once again rolled over in the cramped space. Thinking was the only thing she was able to do inside this carriage and it wasn't helping any.

She hadn't failed to notice that Sasuke was not part of the men escorting the carriage. The fact left her both paranoid and relieved. She didn't know what to think of his absence, but without him it left those crazed emotions of hers under control.

However, she did see that Neji was apparently the leader of the expedition. Seeing as she didn't know anything about Sasuke, she couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but it seemed like Neji and Naruto were more than just the average company to Sasuke. When she thought about how they acted around each other and how easily they interacted, it made Sakura believe they were more than just soldiers. They were friends; albeit friends that went on a killing and kidnapping rampage, but friends all the same.

So it seemed like if Neji was accompanying her to wherever they were headed...Sasuke wouldn't be that far behind.

A shiver spread down her spine and Sakura almost blanched. What was wrong with her?

Why was she reacting so pathetically?

Perhaps if this was a real marriage it would make sense. Perhaps if she hadn't met this man only three days ago, it would be acceptable. Perhaps if he hadn't murdered so many of her people in his life, she could understand her actions.

But even then, wasn't she the girl that had not wanted marriage at a young age? Wasn't she the one who was determined to do so many things in this world instead of devoting her life solely to her husband? How was it possible that this man could mess with her thoughts so easily?

It was so frustrating! It was so damn embarrassing!

She had reacted so instantly to his touch. When those large hands had roughly grabbed her she hadn't been disgusted or angry. All her will power had crashed around her when he said her name. Hearing her name come from his lips for the first time had actually turned her on to the point that she had actually almost let him have his way with her.

She had actually enjoyed the feel of his hands on her. She had enjoyed it so much that she hadn't even noticed what she was allowing this man—this stranger do to her. She had lost herself from a few simple touches. In fact her fingers had tingled every time she touched his skin, even when she was attacking him. A warmth had flown through her and it had felt so good she just let him continue to caress her.

It was easy enough to blame it on her lack of experience with men, but it didn't change the fact of how naturally he had her melting in his arms. Fighting back was nothing but her pride at work. In fact if she had allowed Sasuke to embrace her at that time, she wouldn't have been devastated in the least bit. That was what terrified Sakura the most. That it was just a few touches and she was ready to give herself up so completely.

She had met this man _three_ days ago and he already had her in the palm of his hands.

She couldn't help but be angry at herself and at Sasuke. It was the only coherent thought in her mind. Just to keep being angry at everything. She was angry at how weak she was. She was angry at this 'marriage.' She was angry at the Uchiha and she was angry at her father for sending her on this blasted journey in the first place.

She didn't want to lose herself. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want any of this.

"Ugh!"

It was so freaking suffocating here.

* * *

Sorry I couldn't get this to you in one day. But I wanted to make it a decent length (not just one page) and make sure that it was good quality. Plus smut scenes are so awkward for me. I just sit there for twenty minutes thinking...and write a word...then more thinking. Someone said they wanted more dialog, so here you are (even if it's mostly Sakura shouting nonsense). :)

Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Also I'm sorry if I don't or can't (for Anonymous reviewers) respond to your review for the last chapter. You guys went 100 reviews over what I wanted! I can't reply to so many reviews~! LOL. But thank you so much for supporting my story. It means a whole lot for me.

Feel free to review or favorite or alert (but there is no obligation to do so). :)

I will probably be updating DK around once a month, so an update in mid-February is highly likely.

~Halfkyuubikat


	6. Seduction: All The Right Moves

A/N: Waaah! Sorry about the late-late update. I can't believe it's almost been a year since I updated this. Senior year and college were both just way too crazy.

Enjoy!

**Note:** I have a livejournal/blogspot/gmail account that I am using for the purpose of informing people about updates, news, and basically anything relating to fanfiction. Most important is probably the fact that I post _previews_ to chapters I'm working on in my blogs. So you can find all the links on my profile and check it out.

**Warning: **The Lime is here.

**Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to my beta, friend, and writer-enforcer. If there is one person who can get me off my lazy but and take the time to write...it's her! :3 Thank you Mitsukino Tennyo!

* * *

**XxX** _The Darkest Knight_ **XxX**

**XxX** _Halfkyuubikat_ **XxX**

...

..

.

_Seduction: All the Right Moves_

* * *

**Don't befriend a hot-tempered man,  
And don't associate with one who harbors anger:  
Lest you learn his ways, And ensnare your soul.  
**Proverb 22:24-25

* * *

His march as he entered the throne room was brisk and flawless. It was as much as was expected of the Crowned Prince of the Uchiha Clan. He didn't pay attention to the palace guards and maids that bowed as he passed then, nor did he take any notice to their greetings. His attention was focused solely on his destination, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides that his palms had turned a clammy white.

When he reached the doorway that lead to his father's personal study, he paused, taking a deep breath to try and soothe the fire in his blood. Though the anger was still prevalent, the breath calmed him enough to know that he would not lash out at his father during this confrontation. The guards at the entrance opened the doors according to his order.

His father sat in his favorite chair, near the fire that burned quietly within the hearth. The smaller, but elegant chair by Fugaku's side remained empty and undisturbed. The site of the lavender padded seat brought a piercing anger forward, one that erased any calmness that Sasuke had previously been trying to keep.

Fugaku sat reading quietly in his chair, his advisor standing to his side and quickly whispering in his ear when he caught sight of Sasuke. Fugaku placed his readings down and looked directly at his son.

"You didn't bed her." It was not a question but a statement. Within this palace there were no secrets, all was exposed to the world of politics and power. Sasuke responded with a grunt, feeling no obligation to respond to something that both of them knew. However his father's words did nothing to quell the quickly growing anger forming within him.

"This is problematic as you know."

"Why have you moved her to the castle in the west?" Sasuke's anger boiled over. "For what purpose is she being moved miles from here?"

He had found out the news when he traveled to her temporary quarters this afternoon, intent on confronting the girl once again. After having left her quarters in such a heated rush of anger he had found enough time to fix his problem and let his anger fade. He went to her chambers with the intent of consummating their marriage, having the mind frame of not being rejected by the princess once again. He had allowed her to think too much last night, no such problem would occur now.

However he had reached the quarters to find them deserted of the pink-haired girl. At first he had considered the idea that he had allowed her the opportunity to escape, but after confronting some terrified maids, he learned instead that the girl had been moved early in the morning and was already traveling to a smaller, hidden castle far in the west. Even more frustrating was the fact that Neji and Naruto were leading the girl's travels.

His father almost never gave direct commands to those two, who acted as Sasuke's equals on the battlefield. Giving them orders without informing Sasuke was something Fugaku had never done before.

"You have left a witness to inform the Haruno of our involvement with the girl's kidnapping. Neji informed me last night. It will not be long before they launch an attack on us in an attempt to retrieve her. Whether or not they know the true purpose of her capture, the battle that will insure will not be—"

"Then why would you send away two of the best knights of this kingdom?" Sasuke's fist hit the wall next to him. The knuckles strained against the stone, but any pain did not register with him. Pain was just a hindrance, something that made him weak. Pain could easily be ignored on the battlefield as was needed in order to survive.

"Are you questioning my decisions, Sasuke?"

"If there is a battle forthcoming then—"

"This battle does not concern you."

"Does not concern me? I have lead the soldiers into every battle yet, how can such a thing not—"

"Silence!" Fugaku's voice rang in the room, his frustration with the situation coming forth. "Your duty does not lie on the battlefield now."

Sasuke feel silent, his father's words not being fully processed by the young man.

"The girl must be impregnated as soon as possible and must be kept hidden from her clan. She is being moved to the more secluded castle in order to insure her separation from the Haruno. It is imperative that she is kept in our hands." Fugaku paused for a moment, his eyes drifting toward the empty chair beside him. "I do not know why you would not bed her last night. I will not question your actions as to whether you were being chivalrous or whether it was something else. However, for every moment that you wait to bed her, the more likely this entire plan will collapse. Would you allow that to happen Sasuke? After we are so close to finally ridding ourselves of that filthy clan? After you have come this close to accomplishing your goal, would you really allow it all to crumble away?"

His father stared at him with expected eyes, knowing that without a doubt Sasuke's loyalty to his clan and the hatred of the Haruno had already formed his answer. Sasuke's eyes traveled to the vacant chair once again and for a moment he picture its seat filled with bright laughter and broken gray eyes. Fugaku was right, Sasuke's answer had already been formed.

"I will not."

"Then you will follow my commands without question?"

Sasuke grunted in answer, his eyes finally focusing back on his father.

"You are to remain by the girl's side until she is successfully carrying your child. And until that point you will have no affairs within the military and limited amount in the courts."

Sasuke's breath hitched slightly, but he remained firm, giving no reaction to his father's orders except for a single nod of his head.

"Then you may prepare to leave tonight. You will not be returning for some time, so prepare accordingly." His father raised his reading material back and said a quick word to the still silent advisor by his side. He then raised his hand in the air in a dismissing fashion. "You are free to leave."

Sasuke immediately turned around and began walking toward the exit. His hand forcefully grabbed the handle of the door, not allowing the guards stationed there to do their job. The door opened smoothly, but before Sasuke could leave the suffocating room his father's voice called from behind.

"Sasuke."

"What is it, your majesty?" His voice was cold.

"He has been asking about you recently. You will be passing his castle during your travels..."

"Is that an order to visit, your majesty?"

"It is not."

"Then I will not waste my time making an unnecessary stop."

The doors closed with a slam, and the silent blaze flickered violently on top of the bed of wood.

* * *

This room was different than the last.

It was both smaller and less glamorous then the chambers she had been kept in before. There was only the main room with a very small bedroom attached to the side. The furniture was less extravagant as well. The wood and cloth used to decorate the room was not outlandish, but rather just added a very peaceful feel to it. The aura surrounding the room was different as well. It was a place that reminded Sakura of a safe, homely feeling.

Despite fully knowing that this was the place Sakura would be kept prisoner in, she found herself liking it very much. And that scared her slightly.

"...and you are free to wander the castle as you wish."

Sakura stopped glancing around the room and recoiled slightly, snapping her gaze to the man who had been telling her things for quite some time now. She hadn't been paying attention to anything he had been explaining to her before.

"What?" Her surprise caused the word to be almost squeaked out.

The blonde man stared at her in confusion, his baby-blue eyes lighting up in surprise. Sakura stared back at him equally confused. Part of the reason was still over what he had said about her being able to freely walk around the castle, but it was also for another reason. For the first time she realized that no once since they had begun this journey had he looked at her like she was filth.

His eyes shut closed and a very cheeky grin came upon his face. From what Sakura could read it was not forced at all.

"I said you can look around the castle whenever you want! Isn't that cool?" Despite the man's obvious cheerfulness, Sakura could not help but doubt the reality of his statement.

"...I'm allowed?" She questioned quietly.

"Of course you're allowed! It's not like you're a prisoner here or anything! I mean...er, well obviously you can't actually leave the castle or the grounds, but you can still check out everything else! There are usually a lot of things to do! Er, well...I haven't actually been to this particular castle before, but I'm still sure there is a lot to do..."

Sakura gazed at him while he continued to ramble about things she might be able to find in the castle. He smiled while listing things off from his fingers, obviously struggling to find really interesting things to do. Sakura lips twitched upward slightly.

Her heart slammed in her chest though when she realized she actually enjoyed the blonde's company. Since the day of her capture she had almost no contact with anyone, and absolutely no one had actually managed to say more than a few words to her without giving her a heated glare.

He was different.

"You are not an Uchiha?" The question was obvious to Sakura as his eyes were not the deep onyx that all the Uchiha possessed nor did he act in a way that wasn't anything similar to the rest of the clan.

"Nope, Naruto Uzumaki's my name! And the Uzumaki, we're ten times better than any of those sour puss Uchiha! Just so you know!"

A small puff of air escaped Sakura's mouth with her attention and she turned her attention away from Naruto in order to hide the fact that she had found anything he had said to be funny. The blonde however was not thrown off by her turning away and instead bounced toward the direction she was looking at.

His surname seemed vaguely familiar to Sakura, but it was not of a clan that she knew. Perhaps he was not from a clan itself. Whatever he was though, it confused Sakura why such a happy and loud person would be a knight for the Uchiha clan.

It surprised her even more that he could possibly be connected to the 'Dark Knight.'

"Hey, you also have a really awesome—"

"He is not here." Sakura spoke the words without a doubt of hesitation, "He was not traveling with us." Although she didn't mention by name whom she was referring to, she had no doubt that the blonde would understand. Naruto paused from where he was walking and turned to look at her.

"Sasuke-teme, will be coming to the castle soon."

Sakura nodded quietly and reprimanded herself for stupidly thinking that she had seen the last of him.

"Why do you call him that?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you call him Sasuke-teme?"

"I've called him that since we were little. I don't really know, it is something that I have always done. Just a habit I guess, Sasuke-teme hasn't complained in a while though, so I think he has really gotten used to it." He finished off with a laugh, scratching the back of his head, and grinned sheepishly at her. He seemed happy to talk about these things.

"You are friends with him," Sakura whispered, almost hurt that the one person who hadn't looked at her cruelly was able to talk about Sasuke like he would an old friend.

"Best friends!"

And it was exactly what he was.

The blow had more of a sting than it should have been.

"Also, if you didn't realize this about the room, there is also a place for you to keep—"

"How can you remain loyal to this clan?"

Naruto looked rather surprised at her question, startled perhaps that she had invaded him at such a personal level. Her gaze was hardened, her first clenched firmly at her side. He seemed to judge her posture for a moment, before his expression went blank. Silence filled the air between them. When Naruto finally spoke his words were calm and spoken with sincerity.

"They have done much for me and my mother. Sasuke has been my friend since childhood. There isn't anything that I wouldn't do to help him or his clan."

"But the Uchiha are murderers!" Sakura screamed the words out, anger and hurt filling her insides. Without even realizing it, she had wanted Naruto to take her side over Sasuke's.

"And the Haruno are not?"

Sakura recoiled sharply. His words were the truth of course, she knew that her brother, her entire clan, was responsible for the deaths of many, and she realized she was being a hypocrite. She knew she was turning against everything her mother had believed in, everything Sakura had wanted to believe in. But just for this one moment, Sakura wanted to be selfish. She wanted to be able to hate the Uchiha just as they hated her.

Despite knowing that she would regret this selfishness later, she allowed it continue for now.

"The Haruno are not such pathetic people that they will go around kidnapping women on their way to the covenant!" Sakura's eyes were watering with anger, "My clan is not the same scum that the Uchiha are! They are dif—"

Sakura's stomach growled loudly, interrupting her own words. She stuttered into silence and looked down toward the ground, surprised at how easily meek she could become when her stomach reminded her she was starving and hadn't been feed in days. Naruto's eyes were still hard, but they softened slightly when he noticed Sakura awkwardly shifting her gaze away, before rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

When she redirected her gaze back at him, he was grinning. It seemed more forced than the smiles he had given her before, but there was still kindness in his features. He scratched the back of his head with his hand, giving her a wide grin.

"I'll bring you something for you to eat from the kitchen! You can explore you room a little more while you wait. I'll be sure it's the good stuff too, not the crappy food they try to feed me. Why do people need to eat vegetables anyway? They're so gross!"

"Is there anything that you like?" He addressed her directly, those wide and seemingly innocent eyes of his looking straight at her.

"...anything is fine."

He cheerily walked to the door.

"Than—" She bit her tongue, realizing that she had been about to thank him; about to thank one of her capturers. Her pride beat painfully against her chest.

Naruto's lips formed that sun-kissed smile of his.

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan!"

* * *

His hand trailed up her thigh, playing with the hem of the dress that was nearly pushed up completely to her belly. The places where his cold skin touched had burst into flame and left her lower stomach tingling with some unfulfilled desire.

She was trapped.

His body was much larger than her own, so much so that he completely towered over her petite frame. His lips caressed the side of her cheek, every breath that he released making her face flush further until her cheeks were dusted a pretty pink.

Without warning, his slender fingers trailed toward her womanhood, playing against the cotton that slyly covered the reality of her adulthood.

She gasped quietly, eyes shutting with the small, but powerful pleasure the tender touches gave her. Her back arched very subtlety, pushing her breasts against his hardened chest. Her heartbeat was erratic, his steadier, but both of the organs pumped the two's heated blood quickly.

The thumping of their hearts and the gasping of their breaths was the only sound that filled the abandoned corridor they were in.

His fingers trailed on the edge of the cotton, slowly pushing the fabric aside...

_**SLAP!**_

The palm of her hand had met his face with unruly force, causing his head to snap to the side. Before he could tighten his hold on her, she had already pushed his body away. She stayed against the wall he had originally pushed her against though, her fingers spread out against the cool stone.

Her bright green eyes burned with a fiery passion, but they were no longer clouded with lust. Instead a fierce anger boiled within the hard emeralds. Her breath came out in gasps, her cheeks were still deeply flushed, but she was no longer a victim to desire.

His onyx eyes watched her carefully, expecting her to lash out at him again. She did no such thing though, only watched him before growling four words.

"Stay away from me."

* * *

"Ah!"

Sakura tripped on her foot slightly, carelessly stumbling backwards on the grassy plain. Her arms flailed out in an attempt to regain her balance, but before she could completely lose her footing his hand grabbed her upper arm and pulled her forward.

The next moment she found herself pressed against Sasuke's solid chest, the muscles under his thin shirt clearly defined against her. Without a moment's pause she pushed against him, attempting to escape from his grasp. Her strength proved to win against him once again as she quickly stepped backwards, preparing to flee.

She wasn't able to take two steps before her back hit a very firm object. She looked up to see the branches of one of the garden trees twisting high above her, her back firmly pressed against the large trunk.

A hand slammed against the bark beside her head, while the lean fingers of another quickly gripped the chin and forced her to face Sasuke's hard face. She barely had time to blink before his lips were harshly pressed against her own.

The electric shock was enough to freeze her long enough for Sasuke to pry her mouth open and to invade the warm cavern.

_Bite him, bite him!_

The voice was wailing loudly, but Sakura couldn't even directly focus with the way that Sasuke's mouth was moving against hers. The ways his tongue intertwined with her own was enough to leave her mind blank and send the usually loud voice inside her sputtering to a silence.

Her belly quivered in excitement, warmth flooding her entire body leaving her with an elated feeling, one that she had never felt before. Her breath came out in a quiet sigh, and she tenderly closed her eyes for a moment, loosing herself to the warmth.

His mouth left her own, moist lips traveling down her chin and then moving across the flushed skin of her skin. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, seeing soft silky raven hairs brushing against the side of her cheek.

Her eyes traveled further seeing the corner of his face, seeing the structure that was nothing short of perfect. Even from a side profile she was able to appreciate his beauty. His onyx eyes, the color that her clan despises, were startling beautiful. It was a wonder how a color that was so dark could be so beautiful...

Sakura's intently staring caused her to notice something. Sasuke's eyes were firmly fixed on something, they were not closed, nor where they looking at her. He was staring directly at the bark of the tree that she was pressed against.

It was a moment before the realization fully processed through her. Sakura's face turned downcast, a sick feeling filling her stomach like she just eaten something that she found disgusting.

What was it... _disappointment?_ Sakura's face flushed a burning red at the absurdity that somehow Sasuke's invading touches not being genuine made her upset. That he not being satisfied with her somehow made her feel sad..._What was she doing?_

Sakura's teeth ground together, her anger surfaced at a burning rate. Sasuke's lips were still caressing the lobe of her ear, his attention still not focused enough that she was able to slowly pull her arm back and slowly curl her hand into a fist, pulling back ever so slightly so it was parallel to the hard muscles of his abdomen. She paused for only a moment, feeling the way Sasuke's hand gripped her shoulder tighter and the way his breath hissed into her ear distracting her for only a second...

**Bam!**

* * *

**Crash!**

The sound of the shattered object awoke her.

It was sight of the dark eyes looking down on her caused her breath to hitch. Her mind had been blank before, she wasn't sure what he had been doing—caressing her breasts or touching her maidenhood—but whatever his actions were, had stopped now.

His eyes watched her, analyzing her actions, knowing that any haze around her had been vanquished by the untimely destruction of whatever glass piece that had been broken. The dark eyes were waiting for her to lash out, waiting for that moment when she would fight back against their closeness.

Her breath was still, but her fingers trembled against his shoulders. They had been clutching the fabric of his shirt with desperation... She felt sick, her stomach twisted painfully in her stomach. He was too close, _too close, too close_, and it was impossible to breathe with him looking down at her.

She needed to breathe.

One of her hands moved from his shoulder to the ground and pushed her body away from underneath him, while the other forced his shoulders back. She managed to slide a foot away from him, before his body stiffened.

"Don't—" Sasuke grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the shattered glass scattered behind her. She unintentionally was pulled against chest, her face buried into the groove of his collar bone. Her cheeks flushed brightly and in this moment of closeness she panicked.

Sakura fought feverishly in his arms, but her actions were weak compared to the strength she had used on him before. He shifted his body in an attempt to keep her flailing body under control, using his entire weight to keep her pinned to the ground. Though her body was forced down, her struggles briefly continued, but upon feeling the hardness of his groin against her body, she stilled.

"Sakura."

She did not say anything, did not slap or hit him. Her eyes only widened in something akin to fear, before she scrambled from underneath him with so much desperation, that even with all his strength, he wasn't able to restrain her.

She struggled backwards, one of her legs kneeing him in the gut with enough force to loosen the last grip he had on her arm. Her hand that she threw behind her to help herself stand up tore itself across the glass pieces. She didn't even feel the pain. His eyes caught sight of the small bead of blood that was left covering the shattered glass.

Her dress fluttered behind her as she disappeared away, leaving the room empty of all feminine traces. She disappeared far down the hallway, so desperate to escape from him that she ignored the crimson wetness that covered her hand.

Her breath was frantic, quick gasps of air unable to calm the panic within her. Her uninjured hand desperately grabbed the top of her dress, pulling it away from her feverish skin in the hope to ease her breathing. It did nothing to stop the realization that her resolve at resisting Sasuke was weakening and that he was fully aware of it.

* * *

Sakura had been dully tracing her steps somewhere within the left wing of the castle when she had originally heard the commotion.

She had learned never to remain in the same room or wing of the castle for long, as constantly moving was one of the only ways that her chances of being found by _him_ were lessened. If Sakura stayed in her room or anywhere in the castle for prolonged periods it wasn't long before Sasuke found and cornered her.

As much as her actions made her feel like a coward, she much preferred that feeling to the alternative.

The feelings that he was able to invoke in her body terrified her. They were unnatural, but natural. The feeling of her pounding heart was something she had experienced before, yet it was completely new.

She wasn't as unaware of sex as some girls of her class. Living within the vicinity of guards and maids had led her to stumble upon a few lovers caressing each other within secluded hallways. The first time Sakura had witnessed such a thing she had felt embarrassed at having accidently walking in on the scene and had immediately turned on the ball of her foot and walked red faced away from the loud moans behind her.

When she was older and found herself in a very similar situation, she reacted differently. Curiosity had outweighed her embarrassment enough to actually watch for a moment at the way the two lovers touched each other. She had wondered how it would actually feel to be touched so softly by the hands of a man, how it would feel to touch another.

She had those thoughts in her head for a few weeks, the hopes and wishes for a fairytale romance always hidden somewhere in the back of her thought. Eventually Sakura realized she had the foolish thoughts of a naïve girl and she turned her attention away from something as extinct like _true love_ and instead focused on growing and finding strength in body and in her studies.

She hadn't been bothered by those thoughts in months, until now.

For a single moment when Sakura had let her mind wander too far into the realms of fantasy, she had imagined the man as a character similar to the one she had dreamt of as a naïve girl.

But Sasuke was no prince charming, despite what his linage may suggest.

He was a knight. A man who had taken countless lives on the battlefield. He was a man known for his ruthlessness in battle and for showing no mercy when it came to the Haruno Clan. He was the _Dark Knight_ of the Uchiha Clan, someone whose name invoked fear in many of her clansmen. Sasuke had kidnapped her, had locked her away in a Castle...

He was not the character of a fairytale, but rather the center of a horror story. He should not be able to form a tempest within her body.

_How pathetic was she?_

"Ow," Sakura cried, realizing she had been placing a large amount of pressure on the cut she had received last night. She had been foolish last night by not cleaning and removing the glass shards before she had fallen into a restless sleep. When she had woken this morning she had to pick the glass out from a half healed wound.

It was horrifying to realize that the events that lead to the injury had only occurred last night. It was even more embarrassing to think about the amount of times that she had allowed Sasuke to in some way touch her within the last few days. The amount of times he had managed to corner her within the castle was absurd to the point that Sakura could have sworn he had eyes in every corner and room of the place.

She sighed, rubbing the red marks on her hand gently, as if hoping that her touch would make the wound heal faster.

A loud shout broke Sakura out of her musings. She looked up to see out the window she had traveled to when the curiosity of all the bustling servants had been too much. At present she was watching the commotion outside from one of the large windows that gave her a rather good view of the main courtyard at the front of the castle. She had not wanted to travel down to the scene herself. The stares from a few scatter servants were enough, she did not to go to a place where it seemed the entire inhabitants of the castle had gathered, nor did she want to increase her chances of Sasuke seeing her.

All that Sakura had figured out as of yet was that some person had arrived to the castle. She had seen a horse being led away to what she assumed was the stables. Whoever had arrived seemed to be within the mass of people gathered within the quad, but it was impossible to differentiate any one person at the distance she was.

A lone figure ran out, his hair a bright yellow and his steps were more a bounce than a stride. Sakura had learned enough about Naruto's personality, that she was sure the figure was him. He charged straight into the crowd, his splash of color lost within the sea of dark browns and blacks. Another figure appeared moments later, his movements were slower. Instead of running like Naruto, he walked in a fine stride.

Her eyes immediately focused on Sasuke's form, examining ever step he took.

As Sasuke neared the crowd, the bustling settled down and the crowd cleared a path for their master of the house.

The first thing that Sakura saw was the long red hair that put every girl's silky threads to shame. Even from the distance Sakura was, she could tell the woman was beautiful. The way she stood embraced power and pride, the way she mingled among men showed that she was completely comfortable there. She was powerful; a woman who could not be pushed aside by others, least of all someone of another gender.

She stepped toward Sasuke, and seemed to speak to him as he neared her. He stopped mid-step.

Her eyes automatically followed the form of Sasuke as he suddenly turned and raced toward the entrance of the castle. His movements were rushed, frantic even. It was something she had never seen him do before. Sakura had learned enough about the man to know that every move he made was calculated and executed flawlessly.

Something was wrong.

What could have possibly have caused him to lose his calmness? Was it possible it was her clan? The thoughts of her father and farther suddenly bursting into the castle was a dream come true. She had not stopped thinking of the idea of rescue since she had arrived in this place, but no one had come and Sakura herself had little time to think of escape when she was constantly fleeing Sasuke's advances. The possibility of the Haruno Clan arriving at this moment however was too farfetched even for a fantasy.

If her clan was coming, the entire castle would be in distress.

Sakura looked down toward the crowd again, telling herself that she was thinking too much. Why Should she care about Sasuke's actions? Unless they involved her directly there was no reason to care...

_What if he was looking for her?_

The thought filled her with panic. She couldn't face him, not now. Her chest beat wildly in her chest and she spun quickly around, terrified that she would find him lurking right behind her.

The however corridor was empty, the quiet surrounding the vast structure created an eerie atmosphere that did nothing to quell the galloping beat of Sakura's heart. Her heartbeat did not stop pounding rapidly in her chest.

"Master!"

She turned her head just in time to see that Sasuke had returned back from inside the castle and was quickly moving toward the large wall that surrounded the castle. The horse that she had always seen Sasuke ride was being lead toward him. He was at the horse that had been prepared for him within a short moment and in a rapid movement he was upon the steed's back. Sasuke turned his head toward the woman and seemed to have a short conversation with her.

His hands whipped the reigns and the horse raced toward the outer wall. The massive gate to the castle barely had opened before his form had vanished through it.

Sasuke had left the castle.

A few people seemed to still be shouting after him, but within a few moments there was mostly silence gathered within the courtyard. People began to disperse, but Sakura could not keep her gaze away from the large gates for more than a second. A part of her was waiting for them to swing open and Sasuke to appear once again.

As seconds turned to minutes the large gates remained sealed shut, but she was unable to really allow herself to hope, her gaze sealed to the one spot. It was only when Sakura felt an uncomfortable prickling heat that traveled to the center of her fingertips that she turned her attention elsewhere.

It took only a moment for Sakura to realize where the source of the uncomfortable feeling was originating. The burst of red in the center of the courtyard captured Sakura's attention instantly.

It was not a question of whether the unknown woman was watching, but rather the issue of how she could have possibly caught sight of Sakura so far away and within one of the higher tower halls at that. Sakura could not see her eyes, could not define her face, but the burning feeling left in Sakura's body...it warned her she was being watched.

The woman's gaze was piercing; it felt like she was looking into the deepest depths of Sakura's heart, seeing and analyzing every bit of Sakura's being. It was unnerving, but Sakura was unable to move from where she stood in the windowsill, her body frozen in its place.

It was only when the yellow-headed man that Sakura assumed was Naruto bellowed some shout and the red headed woman turned away that the spell was finally broken. Sakura followed her movements for only a moment more, before she turned away from the window and stepped away from the dimming light that it gave to the hall.

He was gone.

The thought caused a shiver to run down her spine, one that left an unpleasant chill in her body. Suddenly feeling tired, Sakura leaned against the wall behind her, taking a moment to breathe as the sudden events completely filled her mind.

Relief crashed into with an incredible force, leaving a powerful feeling that she could feel all the way to the tips of her toes. The heavy fear was finally lifted from her back, standing Sakura started walking down the hall heading toward the room that she spent her night.

A prickling sensation formed at the corner of Sakura's eyes, but she ignored it and continued to walk down the hall, just listening to the quiet patter of her shoes on the stone. The sensation became more annoying as time passed though, and eventually Sakura rubbed at her eye hoping to stop the itching feeling. When she pulled her hand away she was surprised to see that her hand was slightly wet.

The tickling feeling spread, beginning to trickle down the sides of her rosy cheeks. Sakura stood still for a moment her attention focused on the ground below her. A tear slipped off the skin of her cheek splattering across the stone below.

"Ugh," she whimpered as she wiped her cheeks with her hand, trying to erase the small beads of water away from her skin. Her hand started to tremble though and Sakura paused, looking through glazed eyes to see the way her fingers twitched, unable to follow the commands of her nerves. She clutched the hand to her chest, a gasp of pain escaping her lips, leaving her entire body powerless.

The steady flow of tears dripped onto the cold marble floor below her as Sakura fell into herself, collapsing onto the floor as her eyesight blurred completely. She buried her face into the fine fabric of her dress, dampening the cloth as more hot tears trailed down her cheeks.

Her shoulder's quaked with a powerful force as her entire wall of protection crashed down around her. The exhaustion and vulnerability she felt seeped through her body, leaving no strength left in her except the ability to wrap her arms around her legs and cradle her own body as the loud cries of the youth echoed down the empty hallway.

"I want to go h-home..."

* * *

A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the late update. I can't help what happens in my life though, so I hope those who read this continue to be patient. All your support is what keeps me writing! Thank you so much!

~Kyuu-chan


	7. Author's Note: Hiatus

To all my readers and others of the community,

Hi everyone.

As you probably have noticed I have not been active on this site in a while and as of now I will be taking an **official hiatus** from my stories here.

I'd like to apologize, because when I first joined this site I loved writing for writing. I loved my stories and I loved sitting down and writing them. Writing helped bring me out of depression. I wrote fanfiction because I loved it not because readers wanted it. These days the only urge I have left to write is because of all the supporters I have, but I feel like there is no heart left to my stories here. I don't feel like you deserve that.

Because of that I want to take time to reflect and find my love for writing once again. I'm not giving up on writing, I want to focus on my own original stories and my new interest in other places. I am not abandoning these stories; there will not be a "discontinued" that marks them.

However, I also understand there are many people who like my stories and who very much want to see them completed and not some years down the road. Because of that, if there is anyone who is potentially interested in taking over a story of mine you may PM to discuss it with me. If you are willing to make the commitment I will help you in any way possible (giving you notes, helping you understand my characterizations, my layout of the story, etc.) but in the end it will be YOURS to create. This is hard for me to do, but I know that there are people who can give the care to my stories that I can't give any longer. One of my kindest friends has already offered to take over **The Only** and **My Father's Mistress** and I humbly thank her once again.

Thank you all so much for your love and appreciation of my very lacking writing skills. This is where I began as a writer and I will never, ever forget that. Without a doubt, even if it is a few years down the road I will complete all my stories that have been started here.

Thank you all again. I love you very much.

~halfkyuubikat


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